f Gift of The People of the United States
- Through the Victory Book Campaign
' (A. L. A. — A. R. C. — U. S. 0.)
To the Armed Forces and W orchard Marine
"N
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WELCOME !
HOLY COMMUNION: BEFORE
AND AFTER
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«
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From the original painting by Holman Hunt .
“Behold, I Stand at the Gate and Knock.”
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WELCOME!
HOLY COMMUNION: BEFORE
AND AFTER
BY
MOTHER MARY LOYOLA
AUTHOR OP “FIRST COMMUNION,” " THB LITTLE CHILDREN'S
PRAYER-BOOK,’* “HOME FOR GOOD'’
EDITED BY
FATHER THURSTON, S.J.
A NEW EDITION
Benziger Brothers
New York, Cincinnati,
Chicago
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K CH (? zo
QMfKf oBstat :
HERBERT THURSTON, S.J.
3rd April 1904.
Umprimafu? :
* FRAN0ISCU8,
ArcJtUp, Westmonast
Die 4 AprilU 1904.
PRINTED IN ENGLAND.
MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN.
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And the Spirit and the Bride say
Gomel
And he that heareth let him say
Comet
Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!
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PREFACE
However sincere may be the often-expressed
distaste for artificial forms of prayer, there is,
if I mistake not, deep down in human nature a
certain instinctive craving for the adequate
expression of its needs and emotions. We do
not want to memorialise the Almighty in the
language appropriate to a civic address, but, on
the other hand, we are not always quite content
to use the simple formulae or the stumbling im-
provisations of spiritual childhood. We feel that
something more is expected of us — otherwise, why
lift our voices in supplication at all to the God
who already knows what we crave? Our moods
are very various, our thoughts about God and our
own souls are often more entangled than our ideas
about anything else in the world. The spiritual
vii
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viii
PREFACE
guide who helps us most is he who can interpret
ourselves to ourselves ; and to nobody do we feel
a deeper gratitude than to one who can put into
simple words the vague longings after good which
we know not how to utter in any form that satisfies
us. Thus our objection to written prayers arises
not so much from the fact that reading our
petitions makes them unreal, as because we so
rarely meet with a book which says just what we
want to say, and says it worthily in terms that
ring natural and true.
After all, the Church has always encouraged the
use of forms of prayer — at least to aid and sup-
plement private devotion. During penitential
seasons we still retain in our liturgy the traces
of an interesting practice of the early ages, which
Mgr. Duchesne has aptly designated V or arson col-
lective. In this the President of any Christian
assembly after a subject had been announced to
the congregation present and a space of time had
been left them for private recollection upon their
knees, rose to his feet and summed up in a few
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PREFACE ix
aptly chosen words the vaguely formed hopes and
desires arising in the hearts of each. It seems to
me that Mother Loyola, in this little volume of
Preparations and Thanksgivings for Holy Com-
munion has discharged much the same function
for her pious readers. There will be many, if I
mistake not, who will find here the expression of
what they have often deeply felt and been unable
to put satisfactorily into words for themselves.
But there will also be others for whom its most
useful function will be to suggest and to stimulate,
and this latter service, as the more important of
the two, is also, I understand, the more directly
designed by the author. It has not been her
idea to furnish, as in a prayer-book, all the acts
usual before and after Holy Communion, but
rather to propose a dominant thought, to fall in
with a mood, or need, or burden. 44 For the rest,”
she writes, 44 the soul should be left to shape its
own prayer, in words more fruitful, because more
direct and intimate, than any that could be
provided from without.” There is no reason to
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X
PREFACE
doubt that those who use this little book in
this spirit will find it both immediately and
permanently helpful as an aid to their devotion
in Holy Communion.
HERBERT THURSTON,
31 Farm Street, W.,
Feast of the Patronage of ist. Joseph,
1904.
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CONTENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
THE WELCOME
1 A 01 ,
• • • •
•
vii
• • • •
•
xiii
OF MARY
•
I
OF FAITH. L
•
17
OF FAITH. IL •
•
25
OF A CREATURE. L
•
35
OF A CREATURE. IL
*
41
OF A CHILD. I.
•
49
OF A CHILD. IL
•
56
OF A SINNER. I.
•
63
OF A SINNER. IL .
•
69
OF PRAISE. L
•
77
OF PRAISE. H.
•
90
OF A FRIEND. L o
•
IOI
OF A FRIEND. IL •
•
no
OF A FRIEND. III. .
•
119
OF A PATIENT. I. .
•
131
OF A PATIENT. IL .
•
141
OF A PATIENT. III.
xi
*
150
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xii CONTENTS
THE WELCOME OF TRUST. L
THE WELCOME OF TRUST. IL •
THE WELCOME OF TRUST. III.
THE WELCOME OF A HOST. I. .
THE WELCOME OF A HOST. II.
THE WELCOME OF A HOST. HI.
THE WELCOME OF A TOILER. L
THE WELCOME OF A TOILER. II. .
THE WELCOME OF A SUPPLIANT. I.
THE WELCOME OF A SUPPLIANT. IL
THE WELCOME OF A SUPPLIANT. IIL
THE WELCOME OF LOVE. L .
THE WELCOME OF LOVE. II.
THE WELCOME OF LOVE. III.
THE WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER. I.
THE WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER. II.
THE WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER. III.
THE LAST WELCOME
I.
.
•
•
•
THE LAST WELCOME
II.
•
•
•
•
THE LAST WELCOME.
HL
•
•
•
•
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PAG*
16c
175
186
197
207
215
225
239
253
263
272
28l
288
295
3°3
312
321
33i
343
350
INTRODUCTION
Many circumstances will determine the character
of our preparation for the visit of a guest — his
rank, his relations with us, the object of his visit,
and perhaps our special needs at the time. But
one disposition will ensure its ntness and its
acceptableness in every case. Let him but
hear “ Welcome ” from our lips, or rather see
“Welcome” in our face, and he will be satisfied.
“Welcome!” greets the sovereign in letters of
light It is seemly on the lips of the poorert
peasant, of the casual acquaintance, of the in
timate friend , 4 of the parent, and of the child
It never tires, it never grows monotonous or
superfluous. For it takes a new meaning with
every change of circumstance affecting our guest
or ourselves. If either is joyous or sad, wronged,
weary, anxious, burdened, disturbed — it suits
itself to every need.
xui
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XIV
INTRODUCTION
Our Lord is one of us and like us in all things,
sin excepted. His Heart responds like ours to
the sound of u Welcome !” It beat quicker as,
tired at evening with His daily toil, He crossed
the threshold of His home at Nazareth and read
it in Mary’s face. As He saw it stamped clear
and bright all the house over at Bethany. As
He heard Martha’s greeting, reverent yet hearty,
and her sister’s whisper inaudible to all but
Him.
So sweet to His ear is its sound, that He con-
descends to invite it : “ Zacheus, make haste and
come down, for this day I must abide in thy
house. And he came down and received Him
with joy.” “And they drew nigh to the town
whither they were going, and He made as though
He would go farther. But they constrained Him,
saying: Stay with us, because it is towards
evening, and the day is now far sjtent. And He
went in with them.”
^ On the other hand, how He feels the absence of
welcome, how sensitive He is to mere outward
forms of decorum : “ Thou gavest Me no kiss ! 99
We know, then, what to secure when He comes
to us, what will make His visit a pleasure to Him.
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INTRODUCTION
xv
Pop this, surely, is our chief aim in our Com-
munions. We go to Him to be fed, enriehed,
comforted, no doubt. But there is a stronger
reason still, a deeper need to be satisfied.
We have to make Him a return of love. We
have to receive with joy the Quest whose delight
is to be with us.
Our welcome, as we have seen, will vary in
character with our dominant disposition at the
time. It will be jubilant or humble, wistful,
sympathetic, or grateful, as praise, contrition,
desire, trust, love, sway us at the time. But all
will be variations of one chord. And each a fresh
title to His own u Welcome!” on the threshold
of our Home. Coming out of the darkness of
this world, we shall see Him standing there
awaiting us. He has been our welcome Guest
times without number during the days of our
pilgrimage ; the hour has come for us to be His.
“Gome, blessed of My Father, possess you the
Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world, . . . Enter thou into the joy of
thy Lord.*
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THE WELCOME OF MARY
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THE WELCOME OF MARY
,# / will joy in God my Jesus.” — Habacuo iii.
Before Communion.
What a model we have in Mary’s welcome!
What beautiful commingling of adoration and
affection ! The folding of her Divine Child % to
her breast on Christmas night was the fond
embrace of the Mother, but it was no less the
worship and the clinging of the creature.
What annihilation of self in His Presence,
what concentration on Him of all her powers,
what whole-hearted jubilant praise, what joyous
offers of service, what glowing gratitude welcomed
Him in the Incarnation, at the Nativity, in every
Communion at the hands of John during the
years in Ephesus and Jerusalem !
The reception of a king, a father, a conqueror,
a benefactor, a friend, a bridegroom, a child, has
each its special characteristic. Christ was all
these to Mary and more a thousand times. She
had to give Him, as far as in her lay, the welcome
3
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WELCOME I
due to a God. Was she equal to this? Her
mind and heart were at home in regions to which
the most daring flight of the cherubim and sera-
phim never attained. But when she crossed her
hands upon her breast after Communion, and
bowed down in adoration, she felt as no other
creature has ever felt, and acknowledged in
depths of humility, of which we do not so much
as dream, the utter insufficiency of her worship
and her love.
Mary knew that He who is mighty had done
great things for her. And she knew that the
return to Him of all He had given fell short of
what was due to Him by a deficit that was simply
infinite. Around her on every side stretched a
limitless ocean of perfection which no human
praise could cover. She tried unceasingly to
meet its claims upon her homage, and incessantly
fell back upon her nothingness as a creature.
Yet not to rest there. For in the Treasure con-
fided to her in the Incarnation and in the
Eucharist, she had enough, more than enough, to
supply all her deficiency. She had the Co-equal
Son to offer to the Father as her adoration, and
thanksgiving, and praise.
The same Treasure is made over to us. Like
Mary, we make such return from our own store
as we may. And then, conscious that we are
unprofitable servants, 4 ‘wretched and miserable,
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THE WELCOME OF MARY
5
and poor and blind,” we Have recourse, like her,
to the Infinite God within our breast, and offer
Him to Himself as a Welcome worthy of Him.
Mary most holy, I come to thee in my great
need. I am preparing to receive into my heart
the Holy of Holies, and, dear Mother, I am afraid.
I know His eyes cannot endure iniquity. I know
that in His Angels He found sin. I know that
He sees and sounds to its depths my sinful soul.
And still He bids me come to Him and be united
to Him in the closest union possible upon earth.
How shall I stand before the Most High ? How
shall I, a sinner, dare to draw near to Him before
whom the spotless Angels veil their faces and sing
continually 44 Holy, Holy, Holy ”?
Blessed be His love and His compassion.
He Himself has prepared my way to Him. He
has made the conditions so easy, that I can have
no excuse for keeping at a distance and declining
His invitation to 44 sup with Him.” The wedding
garment of grace — this is all He strictly requires.
Less He could not ask. Anything more He
leaves to my love and sense of fitness. Thy
Immaculate purity, thy glorious holiness was not
too much by way of preparation for Him — and
He is content with such poor dispositions as I can
bring.
He will Himself give me the wedding garment ;
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WELCOME!
and to make up for the ornaments of grace so
sadly wanting, He bids me betake myself to
those who can help me from their abundance.
Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Con-
fessors, Virgins, Angels, Archangels, Cherubim,
Seraphim — the whole heavenly host, by the Com-
munion of Saints, is at my service. And, most
willing of all to help, the kindest, the most ap-
proachable, is the highest of all His holy ones.
Though Mother of God and Queen of Heaven,
she remembers that she is my Mother, and thinks
it the simplest thing in the world to stoop from
her throne in order to succour me in my need.
As a mother decks her child in her own jewels
that she may appear fittingly at court, so does my
Mother make over to me all I ask for or desire,
that I may be pleasing in the sight of the King
of kings.
Give me, then, dear Mother, all thou
seest me to need. I am so poor and ignorant
that I do not even know what is lacking to me.
Give me of thy treasures. Thou wilt not, like
the prudent virgins, send me elsewhere to beg.
For thou hast enough for thyself and for me.
Thou art the dispenser of the good things of God,
the neck through which all virtue flows to the
members from their Head. Get me, then, a share
in the graces which enriched thy soul and made
it so beautiful in the eyes of God ; in the faith
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THE WELCOME OF MARY
7
that no trial could stagger; in the hope that
clung closer to God for every blow ; in the love
that was absolutely self -forgetting and ready for
every sacrifice. Above all, get me the humility
that more than any other grace found thee favour
with the Most High, that ought to come naturally
to me, that more than all others I have need to
ask.
And, Mother, get me thy desirea My heart is
cold, unstirred, even by the beauty and attractive-
ness of thy Divine Son, even by His own desire to
be with me. Show me, show me here and now the
blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus, that I may be
drawn to love Him and to make Him welcome at
His coming.
Come, Lord Jesus, come ! Come and find me
prepared by Thy Mother’s hands for union with
Thee. Consider in me, not my own poverty, but
the riches that from her heart have passed to
mine.
&ft*t Communion.
€i My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
“ For He that is mighty hath done great things
to me, and holy is His Name” (Luke i.).
“ Bless the Lord, all ye His angels, you that are
mighty in strength ” (Ps. cii.).
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8
WELCOME!
“ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us extol
His name together ” (Ps. xxxiii.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants, and
you that fear Him, little and great” (Apoc. xix.).
€t Sing praises to our God, sing ye ; sing praises
to our King, sing ye” (Ps. xlvi.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
w Blessed be the Lord God this day” (3 Kings v.).
“ Amen. Benediction, and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii.).
" For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever” (Ps. xlvii.).
I wish, my God, I could give Thee the best of
welcomes. I unite my poor feeble welcome to
the welcome of Mary in the Incarnation. To her
welcome on Christmas night when she first folded
Thee to her breast. To her welcome when she
found Thee after a three days* loss. To her
welcome each evening as she received Thee home
from Thy daily toil. To her welcome as she held
out her arms to receive Thee from the cross.
To her ecstasy of welcome when Thou earnest to
her at sunrise on Easter Day. To her daily
welcome when she received Thee, like us, beneath
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THE WELCOME OF MAftY
9
the veils during the years that followed the
Ascension, when her life was sustained by Thy
sacramental Presence. To her welcome that was
the reflex of Thine own when she was received
into Thine embrace on the day of her Assumption.
Oh that, even at an immeasurable distance, I
could follow her lead in the adoration, the praise,
the sympathy, the reparation, the conformity of
will and mind and heart which united her to
Then and were the solace and the joy of Thy
Sacred Human Heart !
I, too, would shelter Thee, Lord, from the cold-
ness of the winter night, not only by receiving
Thee into my heart, but by taking to my heart
Thy suffering members, by feeding, clothing,
harbouring them of whom Thou hast said :
“ Whatsoever you do to one of My least brethren
you do it unto Me ” (Matt. xxv.).
I, too, will seek Thee when Thou hidest from
me, either in just punishment for past sin, or for
present carelessness in Thy service. I will seek
Thee wherever through negligence I may have
lost Thee. I will review my use of the Sacra-
ments, my hearing of Holy Mass ; the duties of
my state; my responsibility towards those en-
trusted to me, of whom I shall have to render
an account to Thee ; the result of my example
on my household. I will humble myself before
Thee when I find that through my fault I have
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IO WELCOME !
deserved to forfeit the sense of Thy Presence.
If I cannot trace to any special cause Thy absence
from me, I will humble myself for my hidden
faults. For though u I am not conscious to myself
of anything, yet am I not hereby justified, for He
that judgeth me is the Lord” (i Cor. iv.). In
Thy Blessed Mother there was nothing calling
for chastisement or for purification. Only for
the increase of her merit was the pain of the
three days 1 loss. In my case the subtraction of
Thy sensible Presence has a threefold cause and
fruit. See, Lord, that I profit by it according to
Thy designs. I accept it in punishment of my
sins, for the purification of my imperfect love,
and for the increase of my merit. Let weary
search for Thee here bring greater nearness to
Thee hereafter. Let me seek, like Thy Blessed
Mother, till I find. Let me find Thee whom my
soul loveth when the day breaks and the shadows
retire, and for all eternity I will not let Thee go.
Oblation and Petition .
Thou hast revealed Thyself to me, my God, as
Love. And because it is the nature of love to
give, Thou givest prodigally, untiringly, of Thy
best. “ God so loved the world as to give His
only-begotten Son” (John iil). All other gifts
are less than this. All others are contained in
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THE WELCOME OF MARY
ii
this. “ How hath He not also with Him given us
all things ? ” (Rom. viii.).
What can I give Thee in return? I have
nothing but what is Thine. But Thou wilt
accept from my hand what is already Thy own.
I offer to Thee, then, and return to Thee all
Thy gifts of body or of soul, all that Love has
given, all it has withheld — life, strength, apti-
tudes, limitations ; my trials, my joys, my graces,
my responsibilities, my desires, my capabilities
of serving Thee. And since all I have is un-
worthy of Thy acceptance, I offer Thee the
virtues and merits of all the Angels and Saints.
I offer Thee the heart of Mary most holy. I
offer Thee Thy own most sacred Heart, an offer-
ing of infinite worth, made over to me in holy
Communion that I may present it to Thee again,
a more than sufficient return for all I have re-
ceived, for all I expect here and hereafter.
I offer Thee this Sacred Heart for every soul
in the world to-day ; for the five hundred millions
of Christians, of whom so many bear Thy Name
without loving or serving Thee ; for the nine
hundred millions who have never heard Thy
Name, to whom the beauty of Thy life and the
tenderness of Thy Heart have never been made
known. O Redeemer of men, who wiliest not
the death of any, but that all should be con-
verted and live, save these perishing souls, each
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WELCOME!
one of whom is purchased with Thy Precious
Blood, each one of whom has its place in Thy
Heart. O Lord of the harvest, send forth
labourers into Thy harvest. Let the Faith
spread more widely and more quickly. Prosper
the foreign missions ; secure baptism for dying
infants; succour those who will die to-day, un-
helped by priest or sacraments.
I offer Thy Sacred Heart for all who are
groping their way to the truth. O Light that
enlightenest every man that cometh into this
world, help them through difficulties which Thou
alone canst measure and remove. Strengthen
those who are hesitating on the threshold of the
Church, those whom temporal motives hold back.
Oh that I might be so happy as to assist even
one of these souls ! Lord, give me the opportunity
and the grace. Let me do a little if I cannot do
much. Make me generous with sympathy, time,
whatever I can place at their service. And
count every effort, every desire, an act of
thanksgiving for the gift of faith bestowed so
undeservedly on me.
Prayer before a Crucifix.
A Plenary Indulgence, applicable to the souls in
Purgatory, was granted by Pope Pius VII. to all the
faithful who, after having confessed their sins with con-
trition, received Holy Communion, and prayed for the
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THE WELCOME OF MARY
i3
intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff, shall devoutly
recite the following prayer before an image or re-
presentation of Christ crucified.
Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast
myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with
the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and
beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon
my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and
charitv, with true repentance for my sins, and
a firm desire of amendment, whilst, with deep
affection and grief of soul, I ponder within my-
self and mentally contemplate Thy five most
precious wounds, having before my eyes that
which David spake in prophecy : “ They pierced
my hands and my feet> they have numbered all
my bones.”
Say jive times the Our Father and Hail Mary for the Pope
and the wants of the Church.
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THE WELCOME OF FAITH
I
li Blessed are they that have not seen and have
believed ” — John xx.
Before ffiotittnunfon.
Nothing can suppress thi longing desire of
some of us to have lived in the time of our
Lord. We may be shown our greater advan-
tages, but the feeling remains that had we been
able to kneel at His feet, to meet the glance of
His eye, to hear His voice, we should have
been drawn to Him irresistibly and have loved
Him with a devotednes? which, alas! we are
sadly conscious is wanting now.
Two thoughts may turn to account this harm-
less if not very profitable desire.
Let us transport ourselves in spirit to some
spot where the Christian faith has not as yet
been planted, but where some knowledge of Christ
has reached, and imagine our lot to have been
*7 B
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WELCOME !
cast there. We have heard some fragments of
the Gospel story, and how Christ, having finished
the work of man’s redemption, still dwelt on
earth in Christian lands to be the consolation
and help of His followers to the end of time.
That there the Sacrifice of Calvary was daily
renewed for the washing away of daily sin.
That there, though His face was not seen nor
His voice heard, His Real Presence in the
churches perpetuated His life and healing work
among men. That He was there day and
night to welcome all comers ; to listen with
the same pitifulness as of old ; to comfort, to
bless, and help all who approached Him. What
would be the longing of our hearts to have been
born in one of those favoured lands where we
might have been numbered among His disciples,
as truly as in the time of our Lord !
Again. Let us transport ourselves in thought
to a place which by God’s mercy we all hope
to reach some day — the land of fierce suffer-
ing and weary waitings— the land of Purgatory.
What, as we lie there in our helplessness,
shall we think of the Tabernacle and the altar
rails, of that “ day of the Lord ” when we were
free to come and go in His Presence, to pour
out our hearts before Him, to seek His help in
every need ! No heart has ever longed for the
visible Presence of Jesus during the Three and
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THE WELCOME OF FAITH
19
Thirty Years as we shall long for the old graces
in Mass and Communion in the time for ever
past away.
Shall we not profit by it while it lasts?
“Behold now is the acceptable time: behold
now is the day of salvation ” (2 Cor. vi.). “ Didst
thou but know the Gift of God,” our Lord says
to us, “there would be no room for hankering
for the days of old, for Judea or Galilee. ,, Here
on the altar is Bethlehem and Calvary. Here
at the Communion rails we may welcome Jesus
of Nazareth when we will, and fold Him to
our heart, and cast ourselves upon His.
Oh that I realised my own privileges as fully
as I appreciate those of others ! Why should I
envy the Jewish crowds, or the little household
at Bethany, or even the Twelve? I have Thy
words, dear Lord, to instruct and warm my
heart, and, happier than the people of Thy own
land, I can ponder them at leisure in the
sacred pages that have preserved them for
me. The very sound of Thy voice I may catch
nowand again in “Talitha, cumi;” “Eloi, Eloi,
lamma sabacthani ! ” I may come to Thee amid
the bustle and heat of the day, or in the silence
of night, to lay before Thee the perplexities, the
eager questionings, the many needs of my soul.
I may follow Thee from place to place like the
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WELCOME!
holy women, showing my love in practical form
by ministering of my substance to Thee and
Thine. I may receive Thee under my roof like
the sisters at Bethany, and hear Thy words of
love, or gentle warning, or reproach. I may
commend to Thee in their need those who are
dear to me and to Thee, and with loving famili-
arity expostulate with Thee when Thou dost delay
to hear my prayer. I may weep with Thee over
the graves that have taken from me my dearest
and my best, and listen with Martha to the
promise that they shall be mine again one day.
In my hours of desolation I may kneel beside
Thee in the Garden and unite my petition with
Thy strong cry and tears. When passion agitates
me I may hasten to the pillar of the scourging
or to the cross of shame, and draw into my soul
the meekness of Thine. In every need Thy
followers and Thy friends had recourse to Thee
whilst Thou wert on earth. I may do the same.
One thing alone is needed — faith. Sola fides
tufficit. Faith alone suffices. Lord, increase my
faith !
after fiEontmunton*
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Ven&remur cemui :
Down in adoration falling,
Lo I the Sacred Host we hail ;
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Praestetfides tupplementum
Sensuum defectui.
Faith for all defects supplying
Where the feeble senses fail.
Adoro te devote , latent Deitas,
Quae sub hisfiguris vere latitat.
In loving adoration unto Thee,
0 Hidden God, I humbly bend my knee ;
Beneath these lowly semblances concealed,
To senses hid, to Faith alone revealed.
Plagas , sicut Thomas f non intueor t
Deum tamen meurn te confiteor ;
Fao me tibi semper magis credere ,
In te spem habere , te diligei'e.
1 cannot see Thee, Jesu glorified,
Nor touch Thy wounded hands and riven side ;
Yet with St. Thomas at Thy feet I fall,
And worship Thee, “ My Lord, my God, my all .” 1
M Blessed are they that have not seen and have
believed Yet Thou hadst said, dear Lord,
"Blessed are the eyes that see the things that
you see.” Truly blessed were the eyes that
saw what kings and prophets had longed to see,
the Face that Angels desire to see. What, then,
must be the happiness which transcends blessed-
ness such as this — what my happiness now I
What the reward of faith when, the time of
trial over, the veils drop and it meets Thee
face to face 1
1 Fr. Tyrrell, SJ.
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And faith is blessed even now. For its
patience, its hope, its strong anchorage on
God in spite of difficulties and obscurities and
the human pride which resents these things —
all this is worship. It is the worship of Himself
that God has chosen. From the beginning, O
Lord, Thou hast made faith the road of access
to Thee, and the only road. Along that path
all Thy holy ones have journeyed. It was in
reward of their faith that the blind saw, the deaf
heard, the lepers were cleansed during Thy life
on earth; that sinners through all time have
been forgiven; that the just have persevered
to the end. If I believe, and in proportion to
my belief, I may hope great things of Thee.
Lord, increase my faith. Give me the faith
of the generations of saints who never looked
upon Thy face on earth — the faith of Agnes,
and Augustine, and Teresa, and Thomas of
Aquin, and Ignatius. They are my brothers
and sisters in the Kingdom of God, not separated
from me by an impassable chasm, but linked with
me like travellers on the same road, ready to
bear me up when I stumble or falter, to sustain
me when I faint, to speak to me in hours of dark-
ness of the light on the other side of the distant
hills. Like me they once walked by faith. They
had their seasons of trial and depression. They
were supported all through their pilgrimage on
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earth by the Sacramental Presence that is with
me now.
Lord, increase my faith. With Thomas I fall
down before Thee, my Lord and my God. With
Peter and with Martha I acknowledge Thee for
the Christ, the Son of the living God. Let
nothing ever cloud my faith. Rather let it
go on brightening till it brings me into the
perfect Day. May every genuflection before
Thy Tabernacle, every visit to Thee, every
reception of Thee, glorify Thee by my faith. I
am glad, my God, to give Thee the submission
of my mind no less than the love of my heart. I
am glad to serve Thee at my own cost for the
little space of my life on earth. Only up to
the gates of eternity wilt Thou ask for my faith.
Once within those gates — what a change, what a
revelation ! My eyes shall see the King in His
Beauty. I shall see Thy glory, and be satisfied.
As I fall before Thine unveiled Face, how I shall
thank Thee for the gift of faith on earth 1
Jr.su, quern vdatum nunc aspicio ,
Oro , fiat illud quod tarn sitio;
Ut te revdata cemens facie,
Visu sim beatus tuae gloriae.
O Jesu, whom by faith I now descry,
Veiled as Thou liest here from mortal eye ;
When wilt Thou grant the longing of my heart,
Thirsting to see and know Thee as Thou art;
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To see Thee face to face in endless day.
When Faith shall cease and shadows flee away
To share Thy Blessedness without alloy,
To glory in Thy glory and Thy joy 1 1
Oblation and Petition, p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
1 Fr. Tyrrell, S.J.
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“Lord, I believe ; help Thou mine unbelief”
Before Communion*
Faith, a lively faith, would cure all our spiritual
diseases and supply all our needs. It was the
one thing our Lord required in those who came
to Him petitioning for favours when He was on
earth. It is what He wants of us all now. “ He
could not do many miracles there because of their
unbelief/ 1 we are told, as if this evil disposition
tied His hands and restricted even His Omni-
potence. On the other hand, He said to the father
who implored Him to heal his lunatic son : “ If
thou canst believe, all things are possible to them
that believe. ,, He speaks as if the answer to our
prayers was in our own hands rather than in His.
This poor father had said : “If Thou canst do any-
thing, help us, having compassion on us. Jesus
saith to him: If thou canst believe, all things
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are possible. Immediately the father of the boy,
crying out with tears, said : I do believe ; Lord,
help my unbelief. And the child was cured from
that hour.”
From our Lord’s words we see that He knows
faith is a difficulty to us ; that He tries to bring
us to a lively faith by holding out its reward ;
that faith obtains all it wills from Him.
He understands the difficulty faith is to us.
Hemmed in as we are by the things of sense, it
is hard to realise that these are not what we take
them to be, that though we see and handle them
every day, and they seem solid and lasting, they are
as shadows compared with things unseen, the reali-
ties amid which we shall be living before many
years are passed.
It is hard to bring home to ourselves the facA
that day and night, sleeping and waking, we are
under the Eye of One who is more present to us
than we are to ourselves. That in Him we live
and move, and are, and employ every faculty of
soul and body. That leaving to us the unfettered
exercise of freewill, His Providence overrules all
our actions to the accomplishment of its designs.
That it permits pain, sorrow, moral evil even,
' and makes all work together for the good of the
elect. That not a hair of our head falls to the
ground without His knowledge. That little and
miserable as we know ourselves to be, we are
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unspeakably dear and precious in the sight of
our Heavenly Father, always welcome when we
come to Him, and never more so than when we
bring Him sin to be forgiven.
It is hard to realise that the same blessed
Presence that sanctified the cottage of Nazareth
is in every Catholic church to-day ; not in figure,
but in deed and in truth. That He who walked
by the Lake with His twelve chosen companions,
ate and drank with them, slept when He was
weary, prayed when He was in trouble, wept
when He had lost a friend, came joyfully where
a welcome awaited Him, sorrowed when His own
received Him not — that He is still on earth, in
our midst, Body and Blood and Soul and Divinity,
unchanged in character, with the same tenderness
and affectionateness that endeared Him to the
friends of His life on earth.
These truths are hard to grasp with the living
hold which makes them part of ourselves. Hence
our Lord says to us : “ If thou canst believe.”
What have we in answer but the words of the
Jewish father : “I do believe ; Lord, help mine
unbelief."
He is ready and glad to help, but here, as
everywhere, His way is to help those who help
themselves. How do we help ourselves ? By the
quiet pondering of what we hold by faith. It is
not the effort to excite devotional feeling that He
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asks of us, but the pondered act of faith. Close
to my heart after Communion is the Heart that
loved me unto death ; that has spent itself for
me in all manner of labours and sacrifices ;
that has employed every winning device to gain
my love ; that has been pained by my ingratitude ;
that asks me now to make amends for the past
by returning it love for love. Can I make my act
of faith as to these motives one by one, and not
desire at least to make Him the return He
asks?
My God, I most firmly believe that I am about
to hold within my heart that Heart of Thine
which loved me unto the death of the cross. I
believe in its love for me. Not all my weakness
and unworthiness, not all my falls shall make me
doubt Thy love. It is for such as I am that the
miracle of the Blessed Sacrament is wrought.
It is to bring within my reach a remedy for every
need of my soul. I believe, Lord, I believe ; help
Thou my unbelief. Thou knowest my difficulties
better than I know them myself. Thou knowest
how the cares of this life, which I take up every
morning, weigh me down and absorb my thoughts,
and leave but little room for the memory of Thee
and the things that concern my soul. It is for
this very reason that I come to Thee. It is to
cast all my care on Thee ; to put my soul into
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Thy keeping; to trust to Thee my trials and
temptations, the busy hand and brain, all my life's
work to be lifted up and made holy and merit-
orious for heaven by union with Thine, by being
done for Thee. I believe in Thy Real Presence
because Thou hast said it. Remember Thy word :
“ All things are possible to him that believeth,”
and let the healing of my soul be the reward of
my faith.
after Communion.
I bow myself down to adore Thee, 0 God my
Saviour, the same who at the word : u Lord, I
believe,” didst heal the J ewish father's afflicted
child — the very same. Lord, I believe, and
falling down I adore Thee.
“Adore Him, all you His angels” (Ps xcvi.).
“ Exalt ye the Lord our God ” (Ps. xcviii.). u Adore
the Lord our God and give thanks to Him”
(Tobias xi.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
and you that fear Him, little and great ” (Apoc.
xix.).
“ Sing praises to our God, sing ye ; sing praises
to our King, sing ye ” (Ps. xlvi.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for
ever and ever” (Ps. xlvii.).
" Thou art worthy, 0 Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power ” (Apoc. iv.).
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“Amen. Benediction, and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii.).
Thy healing touch, O Lord, which did so much
for that poor suffering boy, can do much for me.
I believe it will do much. I hope in Thee, build-
ing my trust on Thy compassion and Thy love.
Suffering and troubled, I place myself beneath
Thy hands. “ If Thou canst do anything,” said
the boy\s father. I know, 0 Lord, that Thou
canst do all things, that it will cost Thee but a
word to help me. I know too that Thou art
more eager to give Thy help than I am to ask it.
I love and thank Thee for Thy goodness, and
commit myself to Thee.
Thanks be to Thee for the unmerited gift of
faith to which I owe Thy Real Presence with me
now. Lord, increase my faith, for in proportion
as it grows, will hope and love grow with it.
Help me to lead a life worthy of my faith, a
life permeated and vivified throughout by faith.
Give me faith to see Thy hand in all that happens,
to turn suffering to profit, to look at the passing
things of time in the light of eternity, and live
for the life that is to come.
“Lord, increase our faith.” This was the
prayer of Thy Apostles, the prayer of all the
Saints. All their grand service of Thee, all their
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merits, all the power of their prayer, their
influence for good, their love of Thee here, their
joy in Thee throughout eternity, sprang from
that germ, small once as the grain of mustard
seed, the faith of their baptism, the faith of the
one true Church.
I too am a child of the Church. I too have
the faith once delivered to the Saints. My God,
let it fructify in my heart as in theirs. Increase
my faith. Give me the faith that will remove
mountains, that will clear away every obstacle
between myself and Thee, that will win from
Thee at last that word of praise — “ Great is thy
faith.”
Oblation and Petition , p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“ Know , therefore , this day , and think in thy heart ,
that the Lord He is God .” — Deut. iv.
Before Communion.
Herein is my fittest, most fruitful preparation
for Communion, commended to me by God Him-
self — to ponder in my heart this tremendous
truth, that He who comes to me — is God !
Thou art small, my Heart, very small ; there is
no room in thee at this moment for any other
thought, if this thought so high, so deep, so vast
on every side, is to enter in and take possession
of thee. Cast out, then, all images of this earth ;
curtain closely the entrance to His sanctuary,
that no noise from without may reach to trouble
thee. Concentrate all thy powers upon this
thought — He who comes to thee is God: who
had no beginning ; to whom all time is a point ;
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who inhabits light inaccessible ; who, in a sense,
has no perfections, but is Himself the one
infinite Perfection.
“ Maker of heaven and earth and of all things
visible and invisible. ” “ The Lord of the whole
creation” (Judith ix.) ; in whom are found as in
their principle the types of all created, of all
possible things. “ Behold, heaven is the Lord
thy God’s, and the heaven of heavens, the earth,
and all things that are therein” (Deut. x.).
Of whom are all form and colour; all harmony
and fragrance ; all goodness, and truth, and
beauty ; all majesty and holiness ; all love and
fidelity; all tenderness and sweetness; all rest-
fulness and peace — whatsoever of fairness and
fecundity and beneficence is possessed by created
things ; “who is overall things, God blessed for
ever” (Rom. ix.).
He who comes to me is Jesus Christ, “the
Only-Begotten Son of God, born of the Father
before all ages ; God of God ; Light of Light ;
very God of very God ; begotten, not made ; con-
substantial with the Father ; by whom all things
were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation,
descended from heaven. And was incarnate by
the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary; and was
made man. Was crucified also for us; suffered
under Pontius Pilate and was buried. And the
third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures.
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And ascended into heaven ; sits at the right hand
of the Father. And again He shall come with
glory to judge the living and the dead ; of whose
kingdom there shall be no end.”
He comes, who to save me, and win me, and
bring me to His kingdom took my nature, and
in that nature suffered, and in that nature waits
for me now at the right hand of the Father. For
me, as if there were no other, He was made man.
For me, as if there were no other, he laid down
His life upon the cross. For me He rose again
and ascended into heaven. For me He pleads
there and prepares my place. “ Behold thy
Saviour cometh ” (Isa. lxii.). “ Amen. Come,
Lord Jesus ” (Apoc. xxii.).
He who comes to me is “the Lord and life-
giver; who proceeds from the Father and the
Son ; who together with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified.” “ My Spirit shall be in
the midst of you ; fear not ” (Aggeus ii.).
“The Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee,
and thou shalt be changed into another man ”
(1 Kings x.).
“Oh how hast Thou magnified Thy mercy, O
God” (Ps. xxv.).
“ What shall I render to the Lord for all that
He hath rendered to me?” (Ps. cxv.).
“ Let all Thy works, O Lord, praise Thee, and
let all Thy saints bless Thee ” (Ps. cxliv.).
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Sifter Communion.
Glory to God in the highest.
Glory to God for a condescension greater than
the humiliations of Bethlehem or of Calvary.
For beneath the swathing bands, and on the
cross, there was a self-assertion and a freedom
He has denied Himself in the Host. There
He had the worship of Mary, the love and
loyalty of a few faithful souls. But here !
Lord, whence is this to me that Thou shouldst
come to me? Glory to Thee in the highest, in
the Bosom of the Father from eternity. Glory
to Thee in the lowest abasement to which Thy
love constrains Thee, in Thy coming to-day —
to me.
And on earth peace to men of goodioill.
Peace to this soul of mine to which the Prince
of Peace has come.
Peace; for with all my poverty, weakness,
inconstancy, I hope I have goodwill. On this
Thou canst build, O Lord ; if I can bring Thee
this, Thou wilt be content. But goodwill to be
genuine, must follow the lead of Thy grace, must
be ready for effort and self-sacrifice. And I
am weak. Give me strength, O Lord. I have
desires as Thou knowest, but when the time
comes for action, when opportunities offer of
serving Thee at my own cost, I hang back.
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And so I am for ever “ halting between two
sides” (3 Kings xviii.), uneasy, dissatisfied, for
who hath resisted Thee and hath had peace?
I ask for strength, 0 Lord. Thou hast given
me desires; give me what is as easy to Thee
to give — the force to carry them into effect.
So shall I deserve the peace promised to men
of goodwill.
We 'praise Thee ; we bless Thee ; we adore Thee ;
we glorify Thee.
“I and my soul will rejoice in Him,” said
Tobias (Tobias xiii.). As if in the fulness of his
heart he would multiply himself that he might
multiply praise; desiring impossibilities, like
Mary when she would magnify the Lord. I
and my soul will rejoice in Thee, 0 God my
Saviour, here truly present with me. We praise
Thee for what Thou art in Thyself. We bless
Thee for all Thou art to us. We adore Thee
as our Creator and our God, as the most
mighty God” (Gen. xlvi.) ; “Lord of the whole
creation” (Judith ix.); “Who hast made heaven
and earth and all things that are under the
cope of heaven” (Esther xiii.). We glorify Thee
as an Infant laid in a manger. And in that
last resort of Thy condescension, the Host within
my breast.
We give Thee thanks for Thy greed glory.
For Thine infinite compassion for the work of
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Thy hands, and the marvels Thou hast wrought
for us in Thy Redemption, Thy Church, Thy
Sacraments ; in the Eucharist wherein Thou hast
made a memorial of all Thy wonderful works.
But most of all for Thy great glory, O Lord
God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son.
44 Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our Father from
eternity to eternity. Thine, O Lord, is magni-
ficence, and power, and glory, and victory : and
to Thee is praise : for all that is in heaven
and in earth is Thine: Thine is the Kingdom,
O Lord, and Thou art above all princes. Thine
are riches, and Thine is glory; Thou hast do-
minion over all ; in Thy hand is power and
might; in Thy hand greatness and the empire
of all things. Now, therefore, our God, we give
thanks to Thee, and we praise Thy glorious
name” (i Par. xxix.).
Oblation . Petition , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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De profundis.
Before Communion.
My God, I wish that after Communion I could
sink, sink, sink before Thee till I should reach
that point of self-abasement which corresponds
with the fundamental nothingness of the crea-
ture. That from this depth I might adore
Thee, and that the recognition of the infinite
distance between us might be accepted by Thy
Divine Majesty as fitting adoration and praise.
I unite myself with all those who through the
help of Thy Light have reached that depth of
lowliness. With the heavenly hierarchies, sink-
ing lower and lower in Thy Presence as they
are nobler, nearer to Thee, more loving, more
beloved : with the sublime spirits who veil
themselves before Thy Face: with the four-and-
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twenty ancients who cast their crowns at Thy
feet: with that Handmaid of Thine who adores
Thee from depths of abasement not given to
us to sound or even conceive : with Thy Co-
Eternal Son, very God of very God, who as
Man annihilates Himself before Thee. From my
place as a creature, in union with all creatures,
I worship Thee, my God. De profundis clamavi
ad Te, Domine /
Is there a lower depth than this ? Can
anything be beyond and beneath nothingness?
Yes. That abyss if deep is not dark. It means
infinite distance between the creature and the
Creator, but the distance does not divide. On
the contrary, it implies a relation, a drawing
together by the correspondence between pleni-
tude and need. But sin is black and repulsive,
its final consequence utter and eternal separa-
tion of the Creator from the work of His
hands.
What is sin? It is the practical denial of
God’s claims to our obedience. It is the de-
liberate turning against Him of the gifts we
have received from His hand. And this while
still clinging to that hand for life and the
enjoyment of all life brings. This is what I
have done when I sinned. This is that lower
depth above which I see the level of simple
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creaturehood lying far above me, the sunlight
of God’s love upon it. De profundis clamavi ad
Te, Domine I
There is yet another depth, the outcome
of the other two — the depth of need. The
creature’s need is absolute. It has nothing of
its own. Even the gift of itself is for ever
dependent on the Creator’s Will. The natural
life of its immortal spirit is indeed irrevocable
in the sense that only by the same act of omni-
potence that called it into being can it be with-
drawn. But all that goes to make true life,
life that deserves the name, the happiness that
results from the full activity and satisfaction of
all its powers — all this is the creature’s need.
It is the vast ocean bed that He who created
it alone can filL Abyssus abyssum invocat. De
profundis clamavi ad Te, Domine l
But how can I fathom the need into which
sin has plunged me ? Of myself I have nothing,
nothing wherewith to satisfy the cravings of
my immortal soul. God is the End for which
I was created, which I must attain, or pine for
everlastingly in fruitless desire. And I have cut
myself away from Him ! What words can tell
my need of that mercy which will bring Him
once more within my reach! Abyssus abyssum
invocat. De profundis clamavi ad Te , Domine l
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Sfter (Communion.
“ 0 Lord, Lord, Almighty King, all things are
in Thy power. Thou hast made heaven and
earth and all things that are under the cope
of heaven. Thou art Lord of all, and there is
none that can resist Thy Majesty” (Esther xiii.).
Whence is this to me that my Lord should
come to me?
Down, down, I sink in His Presence, like a
speck floating through space from the most
distant star. Down, down, till I reach the
creature’s place, the point whence it sprang
from nothingness at the Creator’s word. Oh
that that depth were all! But deeper and
darker than the void of nothingness is the
abyss of sin. And into that depth His hand
has reached — to save me. And to that misery
His Heart has drawn Him — to love me. And
to that degradation He has stooped — to raise
me even to Himself.
44 Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
and you that fear Him, little and great”
(Apoc. xix.).
“ For He that is mighty hath done great
things to me, and holy is His Name (Luke i.).
“What shall I render to the Lord for all He
hath rendered unto me? (Ps. cxv,).
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“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that
is within me bless His holy Name. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath
done for thee” (Ps. cii.).
“ Praise ye the Lord from the heavens. Praise
ye Him, all His Angels : praise ye Him, all His
hosts” (Ps. cxlviii.).
“Sing to Him, yea, sing praises to Him. Re-
member His marvellous works which He hath
done” (Ps. civ.).
“ Give glory to the Lord for He is good ; for
His mercy endureth for ever” (Ps. cv.).
De profundis. Terrible, my God, is the voice of
sin going up discordant and defiant to the throne
of Thy Majesty ; going up at all hours — through-
out the busy day, in the stillness of night. Yet
I rejoice in the thought that it falls short, in-
finitely short, of the calm heights where in light
inaccessible Thou dwellest, and no more troubles
their serenity than the report or the smoke of
our cannon perturbs the distant stars. I re-
joice again in my littleness that limits my own
power of offence. Thanks to my finite nature,
I am not capable of an infinite act. Yet through
the gift to me of Thyself I have control over
what is infinite. Therefore my reparation can be
greater than my wrong-doing. I have done evil
before Thee, yet not with malice that is infinite.
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But with Christ in my heart I can give Thee
infinite honour and glory. Thanks be to Thee
for Thy unspeakable Gift! In atonement for
my thanklessness I offer to Thee the praise of
Thy well-beloved Son. In reparation for the
indignity with which I have treated Thee, for
all my irreverence in Thy Presence, I offer Thee
Him who was heard for His reverence. In
place of the service due to Thee, which, alas,
I have so long withheld, I offer Thee the in-
finite value of His works who did always the
things that please Thee. For all my coldness,
my heedlessness and heartlessness towards Thee,
my Creator and my Father, I offer Thee the
infinite love of Thy dearly beloved Son, all the
zeal of His service, all the labours and suffering
of His life on earth, all His conformity with
Thy Will which was the rule of His every
thought, and word, and deed. Look upon the
Face of Thy Christ, and look upon me in love
and in pity for His sake.
Oblation . Petition, pp. 169, 171,
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“ Is not He thy Father that hath possessed thee , and
made thee % and created thee ? ” — Deut. xxxii.
Before (Tommumon.
Thebe, yonder, within the tabernacle that I
could all but gird with my arms, is contained —
all that is ; the God of whom, by whom, in whom
are all things; “the God of my life” (Ecclus.
xxiii.) ; “ the God who has my breath in His
hand ” (Dan. v.).
And this God is my Father. To the tie that
binds me to Him as His creature and servant
He has superadd ed that of sonship. u Servant of
God ” is a title so grand and ennobling, that He
Himself gives it to His special favourites : “ My
servant Abraham” (Gen. xxvi.); “My servant
Jacob” (Isa. xliv.); “ My servant Moses” (Hum.
xii.); “ My servant Job” (Job xlii.). Again and
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5 °
again He makes His promises affectionately “ for
the sake of My servant David ” (3 Kings xi.).
In the New Law, the Law of love, We find our
Lord’s chosen companions and friends glorying in
fche name of servants : “ Simon Peter, servant
and apostle of Jesus Christ”; “Paul, a servant
of Jesus Christ.” But this link was not close
enough for the love of Him who gave us His only
Son to be our Brother. “ Behold what manner
of charity the Father hath bestowed on us that
we should be called and should be the sons of
God” (John iii.), cries out John, the beloved, the
only one among the Apostles who in his Epistles
does not call himself by the name of servant.
“ Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God,”
he exclaims exultingly. “ Therefore now we are
not servants, but sons ” (idem).
“Father” is the name put upon our lips by
our Lord Himself. And it confers all that it
signifies: “If sons, heirs also” (Gal. iv.). It
gives us a right to come before our Heavenly
Father as “most dear children” (Eph. v.), to
cry in all our needs: “Abba, Father!” The
father is the bread-giver of the family. We cry
to our Father in Heaven for our daily bread, for
the food of the soul no less than for the food ot
the body. The cry of our heart is for Himself :
“O God, my God, to Thee do I watch from the
daybreak. For Thee my soul hath thirsted”
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(P8. lxii.). “ As the hart panteth for the water-
brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee ” (Ps. xli.).
“ And He gave them their desire ; they were
not defrauded of that which they craved. . . . He
gave them the Bread of heaven. Man ate the
Bread of Angels ” (Ps. lxxvii.). Thou dost feed
Thy people with the food of Angels, and gavest
them bread from heaven prepared without labour,
having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness
of every taste. For Thy sustenance showed Thy
sweetness to Thy children. . . . Thy children, O
Lord, whom Thou lovest” (Wisd. xvi.).
A child preparing for First Communion said :
14 1 think it’s very wonderful that God should be
our food ; because, you know,” she added hesitat-
ingly, “He mightn’t have liked it.” Now and
again there comes to us as to this child a
momentary glimpse of the bewildering depth to
which our God descends in this mystery. And
then, like a flash of light, it is gone ; and we
look up to Him in the Host, and He comes to us
at the altar-rails, and the veil is as thick as ever,
and all we can do is to cry our “Credo,” and
wait for the day when the reward of that “ Credo ”
shall be the face to face Vision of Himself.
“This is God, our God” (Ps. xlvii.). Not by
the lightest unguarded step may love trench on
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reverence. But among the acts of reverence,
the Infinite Majesty of God does not hold aloof-
ness. We are at once creatures at the feet of
our Creator, and royal children gathered round
our Father’s knee, treating familiarly with Him,
carrying to him all our needs, sporting in His
presence, all the happier because His eye is upon
us, because that eye sees the inmost heart. His
own infinite perfection is His all-sufficing glory.
He dispenses with the formalities of earthly courts
and contents Himself with the simple homage of
the lowliest of His subjects, the very youngest of
His children.
My God, I am not surprised at many of the
marvels faith teaches me concerning Thee — Thy
Self-existence, Thy Eternity, Thy Omnipotence,
Thy Infinitude in all perfection. But that Thou,
Thine own Beatitude, shouldst be so enamoured
of me, Thy little creature, this is incomprehensible,
almost beyond belief. What joy that it is part
of my belief, that this, among other mysteries, is
included in my “ Credo,” that coming trembling
to unite myself to Thee, I hear Thee saying:
“ With desire I have desired.”
Come, then, my Father, come to such a welcome
as I can give Thee. Stoop indulgently to receive
my worship, my thanksgiving, my loyalty, and
my love.
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Sftcr ffiotntmtnton.
“ Blessed be the Lord for this day 99 (3 Kings
v -)-
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee” (Ps. cii).
“Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
and you that fear Him, little and great 99 (Apoc.
xix.).
“ Praise ye the Lord, for He is good ; sing ye to
His name, for it is sweet” (Ps. cxxxiv.).
“For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath
filled the hungry soul with good things ” (Ps. cvi.).
“Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power 99 (Apoc. iv.).
“Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom,
thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength
to our God for ever and ever. Amen” (Apoc.
vii.).
Oh that I could at all realise the tremendous
truth that I have in my heart as my own possession,
my Creator and my Father ; Him from whom I
came; to whom I am returning; who holds in
His hands my eternal destiny; with whom I
have relations closer by far than those which
link me with any creature ! A trusted servant,
a confidant, a friend, a beloved child — all this I
am to the God who made me. Have I not cause
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for the gladdest worship, for the willing tender of
all I have and am, for offers of service that have
no limit except such as my littleness and feeble-
ness impose 1
My God, who wouldst have me call Thee Father,
teach me to reverence, love, and serve Thee as
my Father. Put into my heart all Thou hast a
right to expect from Thy child. Give me the
high thoughts of the children of God, who set Thy
glory and service before them as the goal of all
their desires, who comport themselves at once as
faithful servants and “most dear children.” I
earnestly desire to fulfil the first and greatest of
Thy commandments — to love Thee with my whole
heart and soul, with all my mind and with all
my strength. Let me love Thee with my whole
heart and soul by consecrating to Thee all my affec-
tions. Be first in my heart always. If I cannot
love Thee with the ardour I shall some day, may
I at least honour Thee by that love of preference
which puts Thee and Thy rights before all other
persons and claims. Let me love Thee with all
my mind by tending to Thee in all my thoughts
and works, directing them, not to any selfish end,
but to the hallowing of Thy Name and the accom-
plishment of Thy Will in the duties of my state of
life. Let me love Thee with all my strength, by
persevering effort to bring my will into con-
formity with Thine, in spite of frailty and falls
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Let me love, not in word and in tongue, but in
deed and in truth. Make me relish hard work
in Thy service, and be ready for personal in-
convenience and sacrifice in Thy interests, the
interests of the Church and of souls.
O my Father, when I come Home from my long
journey, take me into Thy arms, and lay my head
down on Thy breast, and make up to me for all
the long absence from Thee, the weary groping
after Thee, the fear of never reaching Thee, of
which life has been full ; for the distance between
us caused by my sinfulness; for the miserable
service of Thee which is partly my fault, and
partly, O my Creator, the result of the frail
nature Thy hands have made. As I lie there,
folded fast to Thy breast, let my first nestling to
Thee, my first happy tears, be to Thee the long-
deferred adoration and thanksgiving and repara-
tion and filial love, which in Thy Fatherly
compassion Thou wilt account compensation for
the past.
Oblation. Petition, , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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II
u The same is my brother , and sister , and
mother .” — Matt. xii.
Before Communtott,
Dearest to us among the attributes of our God
is His Fatherhood. He cannot help being our
Father : 11 Is not He thy Father, that hath
possessed thee, and made thee, and created
thee?” (Deut. xxxii.). It is as our Father that
we are to have recourse to Him. He is not
merely the source of life and energy, a distant
Governor, the Judge of the living and the dead.
Hot merely our Creator. But our true, loving,
solicitous Father, who has made us by adoption
what His only-begotten Son is by nature, “the
sons of God,” and co-heirs with Him who is the
“ First-born among many brethren.”
Yet even this loving name of Father does not
exhaust our claims upon His love. He tells us
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to think of Him in all manner of incompatible
relations, as lover, brother, sister, mother. “ Thou
hast wounded My Heart, My sister, My -spouse ”
(Cant. iv.). li Whosoever shall do the Will of My
Father that is in Heaven, he is My brother, and
sister, and mother. ,,
Each of these relations implies a peculiar and
distinct love, and all are found united in Him.
There is the love of a brother, devoted, cherish-
ing, protecting ; the mother’s love, vigilant, self-
sacrificing, indulgent, with a boundless compassion
for every weakness and misfortune ; the love of
sister and of spouse, with their special characteris-
tics and sweetness — all that is beautiful in human
love, intensified to an inconceivable degree.
What is there in me to attract love such as
this? Nay, rather, how is it that even such
consuming love as Thine, O Lord, is not extin-
guished by contact with my frozen heart? St.
Teresa was willing that others should be above
her in glory, but she did not think she could be
content to know that any one loved Thee more
than she did. A quite contrary desire would
become me. Knowing the wretchedness of my
love and service, I ought by rights to wish that
every creature of Thine should love Thee more
than I. And yet, Lord, I cannot desire this. I
could not bear that the multitudes who have
received less, immeasurably less from Thy hand
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than I hare, should love Thee more. At least I
cannot bear to be the last and lowest in the ranks
of those who love Thee. Rather will I entreat
Thee, who canst do all things, to make my dull,
cold heart more like that glowing heart of Teresa.
It caught its flame from Thine. And Thou art
coming to me now. Take my heart, inflame it
by contact with Thine own, O God, who art a con-
suming fire.
Sifter ®0tntnuni0n.
“ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.”
“ Let all the earth adore Thee and sing to Thee”
(Ps. lxv.).
“ Let all Thy Angels and Saints bless Thee, and
praise Thee, and glorify Thee for ever” (Dan. iii.).
“ What shall I render to the Lord for all that
He hath rendered to me ? ” (Ps. cxv.).
“ Let all Thy works, O Lord, praise Thee, and
let all Thy Saints bless Thee ” (Ps. cxliv.).
My God, Thou art with me, and I am cold, and
hard, and dry.
As far as this comes of my want of faith, of
appreciation of the honour Thou dost me, and of
the love Thou showest me, I deplore it with all
my heart. But inasmuch as it is a just punish-
ment of my sins, a satisfaction that I may make
for them, a pain I can bear for Thee, I resign
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myself to it heartily. I have no right to the
children’s bread ; the smallest crumbs, the driest
crusts are more than I deserve.
0 Infinite Love that comest to me, and comest
willingly in spite of my unworthiness, no coldness,
nor hardness, nor sense of punishment, nor pain,
shall hinder me from presenting myself before
Thee to offer Thee, just as it is, this poor heart of
mine which Thou hast come so far to seek.
1 trust Thee, my God, to bring victory out of
weakness, peace at last out of a long and weary
fight, the realisation of Thy designs out of my
mistakes and my sinfulness.
What is there, my Father and best of friends,
that I shall fear to trust to Thee ?
My past? I am sorry for everything in it
that has displeased or even disappointed Thee.
I know that I have sinned against Thee. But
Thy dearly beloved Son offers Himself daily for
me in the Mass, a Victim able to cancel the sins
of a thousand worlds, and in Holy Communion
He helps me again and again to make my acts
of contrition.
My present 1 I know that my daily sins and
infidelities may well make Thee turn away Thy
face from me. But in the Holy Sacrifice and in
my Communions I offer Thee a full satisfaction for
all my shortcomings.
My future ? Oh no, my Father, to whom could
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I trust it but to Thee ! I know that I have cause
to fear Thy judgments, and I do fear them, else
should I not be safe. But my trust is greater
than my fear, for my fear is based on myself, but
my trust on Thee.
Look then, O Lord, upon the face of Thy Christ,
who has given Himself a redemption for me, and
in my Father’s house has prepared a place for me.
Look on Thy beloved Son in whom Thou art well
pleased, and for His sake look on me with pity
and with love. Hot only forgive the past and
the present, but give so abundantly in the future,
that before my death I may have made good all
my losses, and satisfied Thee, my God !
Oblation and Petition , , p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“ I am not come to call the just , but sinners
— Matt. ix.
Before Communion.
“Why doth your Master eat and drink with
publicans and sinners?” said the Scribes and
Pharisees to the Twelve, when at Matthew’s
feast “many publicans and sinners sat down
together with J esus and His disciples. And J esus
hearing this, said : They that are in health need
not a physician, but they that are ill. ... I am
not come to call the just, but sinners.”
Notice how quickly our Lord makes reply.
He answers Himself, not only to free His disciples
from a difficulty, but because He willed that no
lips but His own should give the reply to a question
that so nearly concerns each one of us, a question
that gave Him an opportunity of showing His
love for the outcast and the despised, and of
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drawing them to Himself by words more winning
than any that the most tender of His servants
could have framed.
He did not repudiate the charge of being the
Friend of publicans and sinners. On the contrary,
He welcomed it. The cavillers did Him a service
who made it a reproach and spread it far and
wide. It was no calumny, but a blessed truth,
and He had nothing more at heart than to see
it credited by every human heart that had gone
astray.
Do not Thy predilections, 0 Lord, refute our
arguments for abstaining from Communion on
the ground of our unworthiness ? Thou hast not
changed since the days of Thy life on earth. Thy
pleasure still is to be among the sinful and the
weak. Should they not flock around Thee now
as then, now as then “ make haste and receive
Thee with joy ” ?
O God, it is hard at times not to despair of my
heart ! If only Thou hadst not done so much for
me ; or if the Incarnation and the Eucharist were
wonders wrought for mankind in general and not
for me individually, with special reference to my
needs, out of a personal love of me ! Or if Thou
wert less patient and forbearing ! But, knowing
Thee by experience to be what Thou art, how
can I offend thee as I do and feel it so little?
It is not that I do not love Thee, my God ; Thou
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knowest that I love Thee. Yet where are the
signs that when love is present betray it on every
side ? My heart ought to be broken when I think
of my sins. It should overflow in praise and
thanksgiving at the sight of all Thou hast done
and daily dost for me. It should be wrung with
sorrow at the sight of outrages committed against
Thee. It ought to pant with desire when I think
of the hour when I shall appear before Thy face
and see Thee as Thou art.
My God, had I the power over my heart which
Thou hast, things, I think, would be different.
Yet there must be a good side to this humiliating
state if, being able to work a change, Thou
leavest me as I am. There may be more true
worship as I kneel cold and mute at Thy feet,
than if I had all the sensible fervour I desire.
And if this poor service satisfies Thee and is
safer for me, I will be content to remain thus
as long as Thou wilt, solicitous for one thing
only — that this sense of distance from Thee shall
not be due to conscious fault of mine.
after {£0mmuntmT«
“ I am the Lord your Holy One ” (Isa. xliiL).
O great and holy God, I bow myself down in
the dust before Thee. With the veiled Seraphim
I adore Thee: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of
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hosts. “ 0 Lord my God, my Holy One ” (Hab. i.),
how canst Thou come to me? How canst Thou
bear union such as this with a soul like mine?
With the centurion I confess : “ Lord, I am not
worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof.”
With Peter I ought to cry out : “ Depart from
me, 0 Lord, for I am a sinner.” Yet I shall
please Thee better if, with the disciples at
Emmaus, I entreat Thee: “Stay with me, stay
with me, O Lord ! ” It is by Thine own invita-
tion that I have drawn near to Thee: “Come
to Me all you that labour and are heavy
burdened.” I may come, for I have a burden
to lay at Thy feet. I may come, for Thy invita-
tion is to all.
I am sorry for whatever displeases Thee in my
soul. I am sorry, not so much for any pain or
hurt to myself that sin has brought, as for its
outrage to Thy holiness. Wash me from my
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. “For
Thou, 0 Lord, art sweet and mild, a God of
compassion, patient, and of much mercy, and
true ” (Ps. lxxxv.). Thou hast come to me to-day
as my Food, that I may taste and see that the
Lord is sweet.
O sweetest Lord, remember that Thou hast
come to call and draw to Thyself such as I am.
Remember that if Thine eyes have seen sin in
my soul, they have seen sorrow too. Remember
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that a contrite and humble heart Thou hast never
“ I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost ;
seek Thy servant ” (Ps. cxviii.).
“ Behold I Myself will seek My sheep, and will
visit them. As the shepherd visiteth his flock,
so will I visit My sheep, and will deliver them
out of all the places where they have been
scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will
feed them in the most fruitful pastures; there
they shall rest on the green grass; I will feed
My sheep; and I will cause them to lie down,
saith the Lord God. I will seek that which
was lost; and that which was driven away, I
will bring again ; and I will bind up that which
was broken, and I will strengthen that which
was weak, and that which was fat and strong
I will preserve” (Ezech. xxxiv.).
0 Shepherd of my soul, what thanks shall
I give Thee for having sought me so long and
so unweariedly! Thou hast brought me out of
the places where I was lost in the cloudy and dark
day. Thou hast fed me with sweetest pasturage.
Thou wilt have me to trust to Thee all my
concerns, both spiritual and temporal, to cast
all my care on Thee, resting in peace in the
keeping of Thy Providence. And still I am
afraid. That which was driven away Thou hast
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brought back to Thee. But, O my Shepherd, I
am wounded, I am weak. How shall my future
be better than my past? “ I am Thine, save me.”
(Ps. cxviii.). The resolutions so often broken I
entrust to Thee. Let me find by experience that
I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.
Let me say in my gratitude and my joy : “ The Lord
is good to them that hope in Him ” (Lam. xxv.).
44 The Lord is good, and giveth strength in the
day of trouble 99 (Nahum i.). lt How great is the
mercy of the Lord, and His forgiveness to
them that turn to Him ! ” (Ecclus. xvii.).
Oblation and Petition , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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II
“ Thy faith hath made tliee safe” — Luke vii
Before Communion.
u And behold a Woman that was in the city, a
sinner, when she knew that He sat at meat in the
Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of
ointment. And, standing behind at His feet, she
began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped
them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His
feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”
She came before Him unbidden. The invita-
tion : “ Come to Me all you that labour,” had not
yet been given. She had not heard that “they
that are well need not the physician, but they that
are sick ” ; that He had " not come to call the just,
but sinners ” ; that there is “ joy before the Angels
of God upon one sinner doing penance.” Would
it not be rashness no less than irreverence to
thrust herself upon His notice? Her presence
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might be as offensive to Him as it was sure to be
to His host and the guests. Should she not wait
a fitter opportunity, seek first an intercessor to
plead her cause, secure at least His approval for
such an intrusion ?
No, she could not wait ; she could not reason.
Beckless of results, she hurried to her salvation
as she had hurried to her ruin. Her need drove
her to Him* Her need was her counsellor and
her defence She liad seen Him, and seeing Him
had seen herself. Careless and curious, she had
penetrated one day the crowd that followed Him.
She had met His eye. She had cowered before
it. The consciousness of her sin had been burnt
into her by that glance. She had become intoler-
able to herself : what must she be to Him !
And yet, how was it that that look had not
repelled her? Her instinct was, not to hide
away out of His sight, but to fly to Him the
All-Holy, and trust herself to Him. No misgiv-
ings deterred her ; no humiliation affrighted her ;
she had seen Him ; His eye had rested on her —
what was all the world to her now ?
And He said to her: “Thy sins are forgiven
thee. Thy faith hath made thee safe. Go in
peace.”
How complete was Magdalen’s faith in Him!
She made her plans without a thought of inter-
ference or repulse. She took her costly ointment
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and went straight to His feet, and washed, and
kissed, and anointed them. Who among Hifl
chosen friends, the privileged, the innocent,
would have dared what she dared that day !
O happy penitent, so sure of acceptance and of
mercy that thou neededst not to plead in words,
but only with those tears that were at once sorrow,
and reparation, and love !
Truly, O Lord, she is an Apostle. She has
preached Thee throughout the world with a
persuasiveness that is all her own. She has
brought Thee more converts than the most
intrepid, the most zealous of missioners. For she
has revealed to all ages the far-reaching mercy of
Thy Human Heart. Only when the secrets of
all hearts are disclosed will be known the multi-
tudes that, but for Mary Magdalen, had been lost
to Thee for ever. But with her they crept to Thy
feet ; with her they washed them with their tears.
And for them also were the blessed words : “ Thy
sins are forgiven thee. Go in peace."
I, a sinner, am drawing near to Thee now.
Oh that it might be with her faith and trust,
with her contrition and her tears ! I offer Thee
the dispositions which made her so acceptable to
Thee. Give me a share in them, that I too,
cleansed from all stain, may become dear and
precious in Thy sight.
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after Cotmmmfotu
O God, all Holy, I bow myself down before Thee.
In my sinfulness I have drawn near to Thee like
Magdalen, nearer than she was when she knelt
at Thy feet. I have no tears for my sins, no
ointment, no kiss. My heart is dry and cold,
without love, almost, as it seems to me, without
faith. But I have desires, and these are accept-
able to Thee. And I may bring to Thee as my
own the treasures which by the Communion of
Saints I share. I thank and bless and praise
Thee with all the Angels of heaven who rejoice
over every sinner that doth penance. I offer
Thee the adoration and thanksgiving of all the
Blessed, of those in particular to whom much has
been forgiven; the adoration and the love of
Magdalen; the gratitude with which she recalls
the day when with her many sins upon her she
hastened to Thy feet. I offer to Thee the joy
Thou wilt have in her throughout eternity.
Receive, dear Lord, another sinner now. Give
me, to whom many sins have been forgiven, the
grace to love much. And let my love and my
thanksgiving be a joy to Thee for ever.
Magdalen never doubted her forgiveness. I
will never doubt mine. She heard her absolution
from Thine own lips. I from the lips of Thy
Church hear the blessed words : “ I absolve thee;
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go in peace.” And on Thy word that what the
Church looses on earth is loosed in heaven, I
believe.
Magdalen never forgot that many sins had been
forgiven her. She did not account an absolution,
even such as hers, exemption from the obligation
of doing penance. Thenceforth her life was one
of penance, but a penance penetrated through and
through with joy, and sweetened by the contrite
love that seeks an outlet in reparation.
Magdalen was faithful to the end. She stood
firm when even Apostles faltered. She clung to
her Lord in disgrace. She shared His shame.
She sought Him perseveringly when He hid Him-
self from her. She carried His messages to the
wavering and the sorrowful. She stayed the
faith of the less fervent on her own. And when
He had left the earth she followed Him in desire,
and through years of persevering penance kept
her heart for Him.
Let me be like her, 0 Lord. Let me remember
that though sin is forgiven, the obligation of
penance remains. Let me take from Thy hand
in the spirit of penance my daily crosses, the
weariness and disappointments of life, all that it
costs to struggle with self, to sacrifice self for the
sake of others, that is, for Thy sake, my God.
Let me, like blessed Mary Magdalen, be a
messenger of Thine to Those among whom I live,
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making Thy service easier for them and happier.
Let me, like Magdalen, be faithful to Thee to the
end, and be with her through eternity among the
happy ones who have put their trust in Thee and
not been confounded.
Oblation . Petition , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12*
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“ Give praise to our God , all ye His servants , and you
that fear Him, little and great” — Apoc. xix.
Before Communion*
Our needs are so many and so pressing that
they well-nigh absorb all our thoughts and all the
energies of our souls when we go to pray. We
come to think of prayer as if it were petition only,
losing sight of that highest, purest prayer, the
only prayer that is to endure throughout eternity
— praise. We know of course that it is our duty
to praise God here on earth, but the rush of life
and its innumerable calls upon our interest and
our time, make us apt to lose sight of our obligation.
We find it hard to rise above our daily cares to
the refreshing heights where earth and its passing
concerns are left behind, and we breathe the pure
air of heaven ; where, with Angels and Arch-
angels, and with all the heavenly army, we may
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sing : “ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts
heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna
in the highest.”
Therefore the Church is ever saying to us :
44 Sursum corda ! ” Every day she bids her priests
and religious set aside for awhile the prayer of
supplication, and lift up their voices to heaven in
a chorus of pure praise. And in the Gloria in
excelsis and the Gloria Patri she would have us
one and all sing Lauds to God and practise the
eternal Alleluia.
This praise is not so hard as we imagine, or God
would not have made it the first of our duties.
We excuse ourselves, perhaps, by saying we can-
not sing the song of the Lord in a strange land.
Were we unfallen still, it would come as readily
to our lips as to those of Adam and Eve in
Paradise. But when earth has become an exile,
and we wake each morning to toil and trouble,
we have neither motive nor heart for praise.
Yet men and women, burdened like ourselves,
have soared above these things. Nay, more, they
have made this elevation of heart an exercise
that habit has rendered easy and delightful, and
have found in it a resource and a refuge in the
trials of life. Why should not we do the like?
We turn out for our constitutional in all weathers,
often enough sorely against our inclination. The
body pleads fatigue, indisposition, business, as an
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THE WELCOME OF PRAISE 79
excuse. But in the very interests of health and
work, we drive it from the fireside out on to the
moors or the hillside. If we would use the same
resolution in behalf of the self-concentred spirit,
and raise it, perforce, into a rarer, more bracing
atmosphere, we should find that even in our own
interests God has laid it upon us as a duty to lift
up our hearts to Him in praise.
How differently people look at things !
“ 4 Blessed be His most Sacred Heart * has been
added to the prayers after Mass,” grumbled
soma “The Pope seems to think we have
nothing to do but pray.”
44 I am so glad we have another Divine Praise,”
wrote a little schoolboy to his mother.
Again, praise is not so hard as we suppose,
because our soul is an instrument attuned to the
note of praise. To praise is the very motive of
its existence. The spontaneity and facility with
which it yields its admiration to the passing
beauties of earth, speaks of an instinct heaven-
born. What should it be when the object of its
contemplation is the Creator Himself ! Whatever
is grand or winning, strong or tender, wise or
sweet in nature, grace, or glory, is of Him and
from Him. Hence we are surrounded on every
side by incentives to praise. The manifestation
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of His perfections is so varied and so marvellous,
that it must appeal to all who have eyes to see,
and ears to hear.
Are we attracted by majesty and glory and
power ? “ Who shall search out His glorious acts.
And who shall show forth the power of His
majesty?” (Ps. xviii.). Do we bow down before
beauty and holiness ? ‘ ‘ The Lord is clothed with
beauty ” (Ps. xcii.). “ 0 Lord my God, Thou hast
put on praise and beauty, and art clothed with
light as with a garment” (Ps. ciii.). “Who is
like to Thee, glorious in holiness?” (Ex. xv.).
If we seek love, goodness, fidelity, mercy, all these
are found in our God as in their source. “ God is
love” (i John iv.). “One is good — God” (Matt,
xix.). He is the a Faithful and True ” (Apoc. xix.).
“ And who shall be able to declare His mercy ? ”
(Ecclus. xviii.). “ Give glory to the Lord, for He
is good ; for His mercy endureth for ever. Let
them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord,
whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the
enemy. Let the mercies of the Lord give glory
to Him, and His wonderful works to the children
of men ” (Ps. cvi.).
Is there any conceivable good that is not found
in our God ? And does not the secret history of
our own life bear testimony to His mercy, His
fidelity, His love? Why, then, should not our
hearts leap up to him in praise ?
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How He must desire our praise when He permits
it to mingle with that of the blessed spirits before
His throne ; when He discloses to us even here
the mysteries of that kingdom where there are
secret words not given to man to utter ! We hear
the adoring praise of the four living creatures
that rest not day and night, saying : “ Holy, Holy,
Holy.” And of the four-and-twenty Ancients that
cast their crowns before the throne, saying : “ Thou
art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, and
honour, and power.” And of the great multitude,
that no man can number, that cry with a loud
voice : “ Salvation to our God who sitteth on the
throne, and to the Lamb.” And not only do we
hear, but we are invited to join. The Communion
of Saints is not a beautiful dream, but a sweet
reality. And, therefore, with Angels and Arch-
angels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with
all the host of heaven, we sing a hymn to His
glory, saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of
hosts; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest ! ”
The Blessed do not disdain our companionship.
How should they? Our Lord is theirs. He
whom they adore with veiled faces has bid us call
Him “ Father.” Therefore our voices are admitted
with theirs in suppliant praise.
“ God doth great things and unsearchable, and
wonderful things without number” (Job v.). He
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is wonderful in His Saints, in His Church, in His
Sacraments, in His mysteries. But most of all in
that Sacrament of Sacraments, in that Mystery
of faith, in which 44 He hath made a remembrance
of all His wonderful works " (Ps. cx. ). It is before
and after Communion that praise is truly meet
and just, easiest, and most acceptable. Because
then our praise is not alone. By Him, and with
Him, and in Him, it rises to the Father. After
Communion that becomes possible which might
have seemed impossible — to give to God a worship
that is commensurate with all His claims upon us ;
that covers His perfections with a co-extensive
and perfectly adequate praise. Will not admira-
tion, loyalty, gratitude, exult during the quarter
of an hour of thanksgiving ! And even if they
seem cold and dull — what of that! He is with
us, He is given to us whose praise alone suffices.
44 Thanks be to God for His Unspeakable Gift!”
after Communion.
“Blessed be the Lord God this day” (3
Kings v.).
44 Every day will I bless Thee : and I will praise
Thy name for ever, yea for ever and ever. Great
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; and of His
greatness there is no end 99 (Ps. cxliv.).
44 Praise the Lord, O my soul ; I will praise the
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THE WELCOME OF PRAISE 83
Lord, I will sing to my God as long as I shall be 99
(Ps. cxlv.).
“ To Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the
Lamb, benediction, and honour, and glory, and
power, for ever and ever. Amen 99 ( Apoc. v.).
“ Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the
throne, and to the Lamb. Amen. Benediction,
and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour,
and power, and strength to our God for ever and
ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
and you that fear Him, little and great” (Apoc.
xix.).
“ Give glory to the Lord, for He is good ; for
His mercy endureth for ever 99 (Ps. cvi.).
Laudetur Jesus Christus /
For the eternal counsel which decreed that the
Word should be made Flesh and dwell amongst us,
May Jesus Christ he praised I
For the love with which “Christ loved us and
delivered Himself for us ” (Eph. v.),
May Jesus Christ he praised /
For the love with which “He loved me and
delivered Himself for me” (Gal. ii),
May Jesus Christ he praised I
For the love with which He became to us “as
a neighbour and as an own brother ” (Ps. xxxiv.),
May Jesus Christ he praised /
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For the sufferings of His infancy, the priva-
tions of His childhood, the hardships of His
youth, the toils and journeyings of His manhood,
May Jesus Christ be praised 1
For His holy and gentle teaching when “He
spake as never man spake ” (John vii.),
May Jems Christ be praised !
For His miracles of mercy, when He showed
Himself to us ‘ 1 gracious and full of compassion ”
(2 Esdras ix.),
May Jesus Christ be praised I
For the love with which He made Himself
“like to us in all things without sin” (Heb. iv.),
May Jesus Christ be praised 1
For the love with which “ He was wounded
for our iniquities and bruised for our sins n
(Isa. liii.),
May Jems Christ be praised I
For the love with which He “ bought us with a
great price” (1 Cor. vi.),
May Jesus Christ be praised I
For the love with which He “ washed us from
our sins in His own blood ” (Apoc. i.),
May Jesus Christ be praised I
For the love with which “ He has redeemed us
to God in His Blood, out of every tribe, and
tongue, and people, and nation ” (Apoc. v.),
May Jesus Christ be praised 1
For the love with which “ He was delivered up
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THE WELCOME OF PRAISE 85
for our sins and rose again for our justification ”
(Rom. iv.),
May Jesus Christ be praised/
For the love with which He ascended into
Heaven “ to prepare a place for us” (John xiv.),
May Jesus Christ be praised !
For the u Unspeakable Gift” of His abiding
Presence whereby He is “ with us all days even
to the consummation of the world ” (Matt, xxviii.),
May Jesus Christ be praised /
For His coming to me to-day that I may live
by Him, and have everlasting life, and be raised
up by Him at the Last Day,
May Jesus Christ be praised 1
By the perfections of His Sacred Manhood and
the infinite dignity of His Divine Person,
May Jesus Christ be praised I
By Mary, handmaid of the Lord, and Mother
of God, in whom His Redemption hath a perfect
work,
May Jesus Christ be praised !
By the four-and-twenty Ancients, and the four
living creatures who “ fall down before the Lamb 99
(Apoc. iv.),
May Jesus Christ be praised/
By Angels and Archangels, and all the host of
Heaven,
May Jesus Christ be praised /
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By the hundred and forty-four thousand who
follow Him whithersoever He goeth” (Apoc.
xiv.),
May Jesus Christ he praised /
By Patriarchs and Prophets, by Apostles and
Martyrs, by Confessors and Virgins,
May Jesus Christ he praised !
By the “ great multitude which no man could
number, of all nations and tribes, and peoples,
and tongues,” standing before the throne and in
sight of the Lamb (Apoc. vii.),
May Jesus Christ he praised /
By this soul of mine with all its faculties ; by
my body with all its senses ; by every aspiration
of my mind and every affection of my heart ; by
my every thought, and word, and act, in time and
in eternity,
May Jesus Christ he praised /
By all who are near and dear to me, all
entrusted to me, all who are bound to me by
the ties of kindred or of friendship,
May Jesus Christ he praised l
By all who are gathered together in the One
fold of the One Shepherd,
May Jesus Christ he praised l
By His other sheep whom He has yet to bring
into His fold,
May Jesus Christ he praised /
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THE WELCOME OP PRAISE 87
By those who are still wandering afar off in the
shadow of death,
May Jesus Christ be praised !
By every creature His hand hath made y
May Jesus Christ be praised l
Oblation and Petition.
What is there, Lord, that Thou hast not sacri-
ficed for my sake ? Thou hast given Thy body to
the strikers, Thy face to them that smote it and
spit upon it, Thy head to the thorns, Thy hands
and feet to the nails, Thy Heart to the lance.
Thou hast parted with reputation; Thou hast
borne treason, ingratitude, the abandonment of
friends, the dereliction of God; Thou hast made
over to me Thy merits, Thy Mother, Thy King-
dom, Thy very Self in the Eucharist. Truly
mayst Thou ask: “What is there that I ought
to have done for My vineyard that I have not
done?”
I thank Thee, O dearest Lord, for all Thou
hast suffered for me, and for the love with which
Thou hast suffered. For all Thou hast given me,
and for the love with which it has been given. I
thank Thee for all Thou art to me, for all Thou
wilt be to me in eternity. Happy those who
during this short life have made Thee some
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return for Thy devotedness, and returned Thee
love for love. What have I given Thee up to
now ! What return am I going to make — not by
delegates, but by myself — a personal return for
a personal gift ?
I offer Thee, O Lord, the joy Thou wilt have
to-day in the Communions of those who love Thee
best. I cannot hope to be counted among these
happy souls, but by the Communion of Saints I
share in the treasures which make their hearts so
pleasing to Thee. I share in their love, in their
thanksgiving, in the welcome they will give Thee.
I offer Thee all this as if it were my own.
I offer Thee what is in very deed my own — my
poverty, my wretchedness, my nothingness, and
the humiliation that comes of so much misery. I
offer Thee the daily work and trials and cares of my
life. I commend to Thee the unforeseen occasion*
in which I shall need the special assistance of
Thy grace ; and the opportunities I may have of
helping others. I unite all I shall do or suffer,
all I shall think or say, with Thy thoughts and
words and actions whilst on earth. I thank
Thee for every joy Thou hast in store for me. I
accept of every trial. I accept of death in the
form and at the hour Thou shalt appoint. I
accept Thy judgment of me when I shall stand
before Thee to give an account of my poor, sinful
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THE WELCOME OF PRAISE 89
life, and of the stewardship confided to me. I
accept the eternity which will then begin for me.
And if I had anything further, anything more
precious to offer Thee and to trust to Thee, I
would lay it all here at Thv feet.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. E2.
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%i Bless the Lord , 0 my soul , and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name.” — Ps. cii.
Before Communion,
“Bless the Lord.” Thus it ought to be, but
what is the fact? Ah, Lord, Thou knowest.
44 My soul is as earth without water unto Thee ”
(Ps. cxlii.). Hard and immovable as a rock,
cold as ice, heavy as lead, I can do nothing, feel
nothing, but the weight of my insensibility and
my misery. I can grieve for any sin or infidelity
that may be the cause of this callousness, but I
can do nothing to remove it. Effort would be
worse than useless. Better to lie still at Thy
feet, content with a state of suffering that after
all is not sin, trying and humiliating enough for
me, but not necessarily displeasing to Thee.
And if not, why should I be disturbed ? Quare
tristis es anima meal Why art thou sad, my
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soul, and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in
God, for I will still give praise to Him. My very
powerlessness praises Him ; praises His almighti-
ness, in such contrast to my feebleness ; praises
His goodness in coming to my wretchedness;
His love that puts up with my coldness and takes
me into its embrace just as I am.
“Bless God at all times” (Tobias iv.). Yes,
Lord, this is my desire, even when words of
blessing come grudgingly and slow. “ With my
will, I will give praise to Him,” says David (Ps.
xxvii.). Not a word about feelings. Thou dost
not require them ; why should I make myself
unhappy about them ?
These are times which with all their pain are
not without consolation. It is something to
entertain so great a Majesty at my own cost.
And if Thou art content, I must needs be so too.
Only see that my state involves no displeasure
or dishonour to Thee, and I will bear it patiently,
nay joyfully. For all this will pass. The hiding
of Thy face, the distress of my irresponsiveness
will end with this life. In a little while I shall
see Thee as Thou art; my soul shall magnify
Thee even as I desire. “I shall be satisfied
when Thy glory shall appear ” (Ps. xvi.).
My God, I offer Thee that praise of mine when
I pass within the eternal gates, and, swift as
light, wing my way to Thy Throne. When the
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sight of Thee as Thou art shall set my soul free
to pour itself out to Thee in one delighted, irre-
pressible, unending burst of song. When there
shall be no more dulness and heaviness to clog
the flight of my affections, no more selfishness
to absorb what is Thine by right. But like the
lark in the high heavens carolling to the sun,
my whole being shall go out to Thee in a jubilee
of praise.
Meantime, what can I offer Thee, my God?
Have I nothing, literally nothing by which I
may at least testify my good will? A good will
is fertile in expedients, and finds means even in
obstacles. What can I find in my poverty that
may be made available for praise ? A callousness
that cannot be stirred, a stupidity and hardness
absolutely impenetrable — can this be material
for praise? Yes, even this. For it can glorify
the Creator by witnessing to the misery and
indigence of the creature. It can be the humbly
recognised chastisement of sin, an offering always
acceptable to Thee. It can intensify the contrast
between the all-mighty, all- eager Lover, and the
poor, crippled creature that cannot lift itself to
meet Him or make any response to His advances.
My God, I offer Thee this glory and this praise.
I offer it gladly. It is of my own stock, my own
furnishing. But for me, Thou couldst not have
it. Accept it from me, O Lover, as a pledge of
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what I would give were I able, what I will give
some day. My soul is as earth without water to
Thee, now. But the day will come when “ the
land that was desolate shall be glad, and the
wilderness shall rejoice and shall flourish as the
lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall
rejoice with joy and praise ” (Isa. xxxv.).
after Communion.
“ Thou art fc worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power ” (Apoc. iv.).
“ Let all Thy Angels and Saints bless Thee, and
praise Thee, and glorify Thee for ever” (Dan. iii.).
“ Let all the earth adore Thee and sing to Thee ”
(Ps. lxv.).
“ Let all Thy works, O Lord, praise Thee, and
let Thy Saints bless Thee ” (Ps. cxliv.).
“ Sing praises to our God, sing ye ; sing praises
to our King, sing ye ” (Ps. xlvi ).
a It is good to give praise to the Lord, and to
sing to Thy Name, O Most High ” (Ps. xci.).
“ Praise the Lord, O my soul ; I will praise the
Lord, I will sing to my God as long as I shall be*
(Ps. cxlv.).
" Laudamus Te, benedidmus Te, adoramus Te,
glorificamus Te!” We praise Thee; we bless
Thee ; we adore Thee ; we glorify Thee.
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Lavdamus Te! My God, I praise Thee for
Thyself. What I conceive as Thy Perfections
are in reality Thy Nature, Thy very Essence.
Thou art not omnipotent, wise, truthful, beautiful,
loving, good ; but Omnipotence, Wisdom, Truth,
Beauty, Goodness, Love. I praise Thee, then,
for what is worthy of infinite praise. Were I
capable of this, nothing less would be due to
Thee from me. And, thanks be to Thee, I am
capable now when Thy dearly beloved Son is
with me, praising Thee with all the might and
the love of His Sacred Human Soul. I unite my
praise with His. By Him, with Him, in Him,
in union with all Angels and Saints who praise
Thee through Him, I lift up my voice to Thee in
praise.
Benedicimu8 Te ! My God, I bless Thee for all
Thou art to us ; for Thy eternal love of us ; for all
Thou hast wrought for us in time. I bless Thee
for the Incarnation and Life, the Death and
Resurrection of Thy beloved Son. I bless Thee
for giving us His Mother and His Church; for
all the Sacraments, especially for that which is
by pre-eminence the Blessed Sacrament ; and for
that other without which the Eucharist would be
a Gift beyond our reach — the dear Sacrament of
reconciliation and of peace.
I bless Thee, my God, for all Thou art to
me, for all that out of Thy treasury Thou hast
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THE WELCOME OF PRAISE 95
bestowed upon me— for life, and time, and grace ;
for the gifts of mind and body given or withheld
according to Thy knowledge of my need and Thy
designs for my eternal happiness. I bless Thee
for all Thy graces and favours bestowed upon me
through the Mass, and in the Sacraments, and
by the means of prayer, I bless Thee for Thy
untiring patience with me and Thy forgiveness of
my many sins ; for Thy visits to me in Holy Com-
munion; for Thy help in need; for the inspira-
tions and invitations by which Thou seekest to
draw me to Thyself. I bless Thee for the joys
and for the trials of my life which in Thy Provi-
dence work together for my good. I bless Thee
for the grace of final perseverance in Thy service,
for Thy merciful judgment of my poor, sinful life ;
for the place in Thy kingdom to which Thou wilt
bring me when my term of purification is past ;
for the joy of standing in Thy Presence for ever,
and the sight of Thy unveiled Face. “Every
day will I bless Thee: and I will praise Thy
name for ever, yea for ever and ever” (Ps.
cxliv.).
Adoramus Te / My God, I adore Thee. I
have but the faintest idea now of that worship,
that self-annihilation which is the soul’s response
to the sight of Thy holiness, Thy majesty, Thy
beauty, Thy power. But present within me is
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the Soul of Christ that comprehends Thy Divine
Majesty fully, and is able to give Thee an
adequate adoration To its worship I unite
mine. Through Him, and with Him, and in
Him is to Thee, 0 God the Father, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory, world
without end. Amen.
Glorificamu8 Te J My God, I glorify Thee for
all Thou art in Thyself, and for all the manifesta-
tions of Thyself in nature, grace, and glory.
The irrational creatures glorify Thee by doing
Thy Will. The heavens declare the glory of
God, the earth and sea lift up their voice to
Thee in praise. Oh that all men would glorify
Thee! That they would all respond to the
summons: “Give glory to God, all ye His
servants, and you that fear Him, little and
great v (Apoc. xix.). “Glorify the Lord as
much as ever you can, for He will yet far
exceed, and His magnificence is wonderful.
Blessing the Lord, exalt Him as much as you
can, for He is above all praise ” (Ecclus. xliii.).
Yet after Communion I, a little one indeed, can
glorify Him sufficiently. His boundless Perfec-
tions will not outstrip my praise. I may cover
them with an infinite worship. I may exalt
them as much as they deserve. For I can do
all things in Him who strengthens me then.
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THE WELCOME OF PRAISE 97
Not I, but my Lord and God with me. By
Him, with Him, in Him, is to God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and
glory, world without end.
Oblation and Petition , p. 10^
Prayer before a Crupifix, p. 12.
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“ Who art Thou, Lord ? 99
Before (Communion.
Saul was on his way to Damascus to bring
bound to Jerusalem the disciples of Christ, when
“suddenly a light from heaven shined round
about him.” And falling on the ground he heard
a voice saying to him : 44 Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou Me ? ” Who said : 44 Who art Thou, Lord ? ”
What a contrast between 44 Saul breathing out
threatening and slaughter against the disciples of
the Lord,” and Paul who counted as nothing
44 perils of waters, perils of robbers, stripes, stoning,
hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness,” death
itself for Jesus’ sake ; between the neophyte
crying out in his ignorance : 44 Who art Thou,
Lord?” and the Apostle exclaiming: 44 1 know
whom I have believed.”
What had brought about this marvellous change?
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One thing — St. Paul had come to know our Lord,
to know Him intimately, as one friend knows
another. And because he knew Him, he had
come to love Him with so vehement an affection
that he could say : “Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or danger,
or the sword ? I am sure that neither death nor
life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
any creature, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
How had St. Paul learned to know our Lord so
well? He was not one of the Twelve, nor had
he been among those who followed Him about
during His life on earth, attracted by His wonder-
ful works, and by the charm of His presence and
of His words. He had marvellous revelations, it
is true. Still he had “to learn Christ,” as he
himself expresses it, much in the same way as we
have to do, by hearing about Him, by pondering
what he heard, by remembering that all our
Blessed Saviour had done and suffered was for
him. “ He loved me, and delivered Himself for
me,” was the thought that stirred all that was
noble within him, and urged his generous nature
to return love for love.
If we want to love our Lord fervently, to make
Him some return for all His love to us, we must
try to know Him by making ourselves familiar
with His life. We must notice His ways — His
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gentleness and compassion ; His tenderness with
sinners, with the sick, the sorrowing, the little
children; His faithfulness to His friends, His
patience, His lovableness, We must try to
bring home to ourselves, like St. Paul, that how-
ever poor and unimportant we may be in the eyes
of others, however undeserving and sinful, we are
each of us, one by one, dear and precious to the
Heart of our Blessed Lord beyond what we are
able to conceive. That for love of us one by one
He taught, and toiled, and suffered. That had
we been the only soul He came to save, He would
have done for us singly what He has done for all.
Each one of us, however lowly and unworthy, can
say with the great Apostle : “ He loved me, and
delivered Himself for me.” When we come to
realise this in some degree, our hearts will begin
to warm. We shall find we have found, what we
all long to find — a true and faithful friend, a
Friend who will never tire of us, who will put up
with our shortcomings and our selfishness, and
be always ready to listen to us and to help us.
We shall begin to trust Him. We shall love to
be with Him. We shall invite Him to come to
us oftener, and prepare our hearts better to
receive Him. And His visits will be more fruit-
ful. Though the Sacraments work without our
co-operation, their effects are stinted unless the
soil is prepared. Our Lord could have worked a
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miracle in the desert to feed the hungry multitude
without having bread to multiply. But His way
is to help those who help themselves. He sent
for the few little loaves that a boy in the crowd
had brought, and blessed and multiplied them.
So is it with our dispositions. He increases
whatever good He finds.
And why should we not do all we can to make
Him welcome for His own sake as well as for
what He brings us ! He is our best of friends,
with whom we are to spend our eternity; must
we not be getting to know Him better that we
may love Him more? It was for us as well as
for the sick of His own day that He showed Him-
self so tender and merciful. He knew we should
one day hear of the kind things He said and did,
and He wanted to draw our hearts to Himself by
their means. We must ponder and try to make
real to ourselves, now one, now another of His
miracles of mercy ; to enter into the feelings of
thankfulness of those He healed, and to remember
we have the very same tender Lord with us in,
Holy Communion, who wants us to treat with
Him and to trust Him as if we had known and
loved Him whilst He was here on earth.
I believe, O my Saviour, I believe firmly that
Thou who art coming to visit me art the true Son
of God who didst come to Mary, lie in a manger,
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travel to and fro through the towns of Judea and
by the seashore of Galilee. I believe Thou art
the very same Lord who for me didst sweat blood
beneath the olive trees and hang upon the cross.
All this I believe. And yet I may cry with Saul
on the way to Damascus : " Who art Thou, Lord ? ”
Teach me more and more about Thyself. Bring
home to me, make real to me what I hold by my
faith. How is it I can believe so much yet love
so little? Oh that I could love and trust Thee
like those who knew Thee during Thy life on
earth, whose hearts beat quickly at the thought
of seeing Thy face, of hearing Thee calling them
by their name !
But to love Thee devotedly it is not necessary
to have seen Thee. “ Because thou hast seen
Me, Thomas, thou hast believed ; blessed are
those who have not seen, and have believed.”
Let this blessing be mine, dear Lord. Come to
me, that I may know Thee better. Come to make
Thyself more to my soul. Come and teach me
how to speak to Thee, to unburden my heart to
Thee, to trust to Thee its miseries, its weaknesses,
its desire of better things.
I am sorry for all the sins which have dulled
my mind to the divine truths I believe by faith.
I am sorry for having often hardened my heart
when I heard Thy voice speaking within me.
Forgive me, O forgiving Lord, and come to me
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now to help me to a more fervent life in Thy
service.
after Communion*
Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the
throne, the throne of His glory in heaven, the
throne here on earth of my poor heart.
O ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all for even
Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
and you that fear Him, little and great.
O give thanks to the Lord because He is good,
because His mercy endureth for ever.
Who art Thou, Lord ? I know ; I adore. Thou
art Christ, the Son of the Living God. I bow
myself down before Thee. I adore Thy sacred
Body that suffered hunger and thirst, and cold,
and weariness, and a cruel death for me. I adore
Thy precious Blood that was poured out for me.
I adore Thy Blessed Soul once sorrowful for
me even unto death. I adore Thy Divinity by
which Thou art one God with the Father and
the Holy Ghost.
How can I thank Thee, my God, for giving me
Thyself? Who will help me to bless and praise
Thee ? My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
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spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He
that is mighty hath done great things to me, and
holy is His name. With the thanksgiving of Thy
Holy Mother, with the joyful praise of all Thy
Angels and Saints, I thank, and bless, and praise
Thee. 0 grant that I may praise Thee for ever.
Thou hast done great things for me, my God,
and Thou hast come to do great things. Not till
I get to Heaven and look back on my Communion
days shall I understand all Thou hast done for
me, silently, unknown even to myself, during
these precious quarters of an hour of thanksgiving.
Cold though I may be, and wandering in attention,
Thy loving work for me goes on. The forgiveness
of venial sin, the quieting of my passions, the
weakening of bad habits, new joy in God’s service,
strength for future conflicts, growth in the love of
Christ and in likeness to Christ— all good things
come to me together with Thee, dear Lord.
What shall I render to the Lord for all He hath
rendered unto me ?
M My child, give Me thy heart. Give it to
Me, for by the right of creation it is Mine. Give
it to Me, for I have given the blood of My Heart
to save it from misery and to purchase for it
eternal joy. Give it to Me, who alone can make
it happy. Give it to Me, that it may not be
spoilt by self-seeking, by running too eagerly
after the things of this life. Give it to Me, that
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it may not be disappointed in the end, that I
may satisfy all its desires, all its craving for
affection and for happiness, and be Myself its
reward exceeding great.”
Take, O Lord, and receive. I give Thee my
heart. Who but Thyself would care for itl
Who, knowing it as Thou dost, would not despise
it! O God, who possessing the hearts of all
Saints dost ask for mine, I offer it to Thee with
humble thankfulness for the love that makes Thee
ask it. Would it were an offering less unworthy
of Thee. I give it to Thee that Thou mayst keep
it safe, and that all its love may be Thine. And
with it I give Thee all whom I love, to be kept
in Thy service or to be brought back thereto.
Guide us all through the perils of this short life,
and make us worthy to possess and enjoy Thee
for ever in the life to come. Amen.
Petition.
“I will make him a pillar in the temple of
my God .” — Apoc. iff.
I wish I could be a little pillar, my God,
supporting something for Thee, no matter what ;
a pillar rough, unpolished, hidden away if Thou
wilt, but doing a work for Thee.
In one way, at least, I may be a pillar. Thy
interests all the world over are given into our
keeping that we may uphold them all — by prayer.
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Bring home to me, Lord, the responsibility that
lies upon me to be earnest in prayer for all who
are entrusted to me, or who are in any way
brought within my influence. And not for these
only, but for all my brethren, all my fellow-
servants, every soul on the wide earth. They
are Thy children, all of them, with a right to call
Thee “ Father,” with their place in Thy Heart.
Surely, then, they must have a place in mine.
I pray 44 for all that concerns the interests of
Thy Kingdom on earth, for the Holy Father, for
the diocese, for the Church in every land. For
the foreign missions, for the temporal independ-
ence of the Pope, for persecuted religious abroad,
for the safety of our schools in this country.”
I pray that Thou mayst 44 reign in every heart,
that the power of the Evil One may be broken
and may come to naught, that Jesus Christ may
everywhere conquer and triumph ; that His law,
His commandments, and His Church may rule
the whole world ; that there may be neither rebel,
nor traitor, nor deserter, but that all may live
under His rule, and in His grace, until they have
to leave the earthly Kingdom for that which is
prepared in Heaven.” 1
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
1 Bishop Hedley, Pastoral Letter, Lent, 1904.
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II
U I will not now call you servants, but
friends — John xv.
Before (Communion*
First among the privileges of perfect friendship,
and comprising every other, is unreservedness of
communication between us and our friend. What-
ever befalls us he must know. We do not believe
an event can be read aright unless his eye inter-
prets it along with our own. The impression it
makes upon us is largely determined by his judg-
ment. Pain is softened, joy is doubled, by being
shared with him. If it is an injustice or a
disappointment that has upset us, we exaggerate
the trouble of course, perhaps allow ourselves
many an intemperate word that would be checked
in any other presence. But he knows us so well ;
knows us in every mood ; our way of looking at
things ; our infirmities of character ; he will make
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allowances; it does not matter what we say to
him. Everything may come out, and the out-
pouring will prevent effusions in quarters where
they would be unjustifiable and unsafe.
Oh what a resource we have in human friend-
ship ! God Himself acknowledges and sanctions
it when He tells us : “A steadfast friend shall
be to Thee as thyself ” (Ecclus. vi.). “ Open not
thy heart to every man * (Ecclus. viii.), “ but let
one of a thousand be thy counsellor ” (Ecclus. vi.).
“ A faithful friend is a strong defence, and he that
hath found him hath found a treasure. Go to
him early in the morning, and let thy foot wear
the steps of his doors ” (Ibid.).
Yet it does not suffice Him to give us friends
frail and feeble as ourselves. Nor even to open
to us the Courts of Heaven, and make us welcome
to the friendship of those blessed ones whom He
vouchsafes to own as frienda But He would
Himself be our Friend. All the advantages of
friendship heightened to an inconceivable degree ;
all the devotedness, faithfulness, resourcefulness,
forbearance, which the annals of friendship or
the wildest stretch of imagination can furnish, is
but the feeblest image of what He offers, nay
presses upon the acceptance of every one of us.
“The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of
David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul 99
(i Rings xviiL). But what was this union com-
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pared with that between us and our Blessed Lord
in Holy Communion ! We are engrafted in Him
as the branch in the vine, a similitude of His
own which should be pondered in detail till we
come to realise something of its stupendous signi-
ficance. '
“And Jonathan stripped himself of the coat
with which he was clothed and gave it to David,
and the rest of his garments, even to his sword,
and to his bow, and to his girdle.” A paltry
sacrifice indeed beside that of the Cross and of
the Eucharist !
In the hour of need Jonathan interposed
between his friend and his father’s anger: “I
will go and stand beside my father : and I will
speak of thee to my father. And Jonathan spoke
good things of David to Saul, his father. And
Saul was appeased by the words of Jonathan ”
(i Kings xix.). But “ Christ loved us and
delivered Himself for us” (Ephes. v.), “making
peace with the blood of His cross” (2 Cor. v.);
44 loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
Blood” (Apoc. i.) ; “always living to make inter-
cession for us ” (Heb. vii.).
The friendship between the prince and the
shepherd fascinates us. Yet the love of the
God of heaven and earth for such as we are
fails to excite wonder or enthusiasm. All the
beauty and pathos of human friendship is found
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in the Divine ; sympathy, self-sinking, generosity,
carried to a length impossible to surpass even in
thought. But we take it all as a matter of course,
and see no particular reason why the duty of
gratitude should be so urged upon us.
And surely, O Lord, there should be nonet
Surely the sight of the Crucifix or the Tabernacle,
the very thought of either, should melt our hearts
and carry us out of ourselves with admiration and
thankfulness. We extol the wide brotherhood
of Francis of Assisi. We are charmed by his
sympathy with the innocent things of the irra-
tional creation. But his passionate love of Christ
Crucified, the vehemence and the tenderness of
his heart’s outpouring the night through : “ My
God and my All ! 99 — this we fail to understand,
this wakes no echo in our own heart.
How long, O Lord, how long 1 Thou didst die
for me as for Francis ; draw my heart to Thee by
a return of love. Make the Crucifix speak to my
heart as to his. My God and my All, make Thy-
self more to my soul. There was a time when
this seraph of the earth was wedded to earthly
things. And Thy grace came and drew his whole
affection to Thee, and now he is associated in our
minds with the burning spirits before Thy throne.
Give Thy grace to me too, mean and miserable as I
am. Canst Thou refuse Thy grace who dost give
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Thyself? I long to love Thee, my God, with a
love less unworthy of Thee. Help me to love
Thee. Take from my heart all obstacles to Thy
love. Let me love Thee with my whole heart,
with my whole soul, with all my mind, with all
my strength before I come to die, that I may
love Thee according to Thy desire throughout
eternity.
after Communion.
“ Blessed be the Lord for this day ” (3 Kings
v).
“ Blessed be the Lord, for He hath shown His
wonderful mercy to me ” (Ps. xxx.).
“For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and
hath filled the hungry soul with good things *
(Ps. cvi.).
“ O my soul, bless the Lord, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name ” (Ps. cii.).
“ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all
He hath done for thee ” (Id.).
“ Give glory to the Lord for He is good, for His
mercy endureth for ever ” (Ps. cvi.).
“ What shall I render to the Lord for all that
He hath rendered tome?” (Ps. cxv.).
“ I will extol Thee, O God my King, and I will
bless Thy name for ever, yea for ever and ever n
(Ps. cxliv.).
•* 0 my soul, bless thou the Lord ” (Ps. ciii).
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“ And when they had adored God and given Him
thanks, they sat down together ” (Tobias xi. 1 2).
Here is the right ordering of our thanksgiving
after Communion — God’s claims first, and, these
satisfied, the familiar intercourse with our Lord
and the setting forth of our needs. Though,
indeed, the satisfying of God’s claims is the first
and deepest of our needs.
How is it to be brought about? His due is
nothing short of the infinite, and our very best is
finite. Oh how miserably finite we feel when we
come to deal with God ! But — thanks be to God
for His unspeakable Gift — what is absolutely
impossible for us to do, is perfectly done for us
by the Incarnation, and by the extension of the
Incarnation, the Eucharist.
Our Lord places Himself upon the altar, within
easy reach of every one of us. He puts His
Sacred Heart at our disposal, bidding us help
ourselves freely from its treasures, and pay thus
to the last farthing the debt we owe. To provide
us with an adoration, praise, and thanksgiving
worthy of Himself, is His chief motive in remain-
ing with us all days ; in offering Himself on the
altar every day ; in coming to us in Holy Com-
munion whenever we will. By Him, with Him,
in Him, we, little finite creatures, nothing of our-
selves, worse than nothing by our sinfulness, can
give to the supreme God a worship which He
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accepts as sufficient, by which every Perfection
receives its full meed of adoration and praise,
good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
running over.
“ He that is mighty hath done great things for
me,” we may cry out in our joy, as we look at the
Tabernacle, and fold our hands over our breast
after Communion. He has perfected praise even
in the mouth of such a one as I. For I am not
alone; Jesus is with me. “I will rejoice in
the Lord, and I will joy in God my Jesus'*
(Habacuc iii.).
“ And when they had adored God , and given Him
thank s, they sat down together”
He wants now to hear about ourselves — how
things are going with us — how we have been
getting on since He was with us last. Is union
with Him strengthening ? Does the sap flow
more freely, more continuously from the Vine
into the branch ? Are we getting little by little
to live by Him ? Is there communion of tastes,
interests, joys, and sorrows ? Interchange of
loving offices ? Is there devotedness to His cause
at the cost of personal sacrifice ? Does all that
touches Him affect us more than it did once ? Is
He coming to be, almost unconsciously to our-
selves, the main need of our life ?
And what about our work for Him — about the
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anxiety common to us both for those we love,
those whose names He sees upon our lips when-
ever we come to Him ? And other things. The
interview we talked over with Him — how did it
go off? The cloud in that other quarter — is it
lifting ? He wants to know all. Have we come
to Him that He may share our gladness ? Or is
it the old sympathy, the sympathy of years on
which we must draw still ? Oh that fellow-feeling
of His Sacred Human Heart, not only ready ever,
but fresh as ever — a constancy impossible in other
friends! They must tire. They do tire. They
brace themselves up to give us a patient hearing
once again. They try — what more can they do ?
— to draw upon the resources of their faithful
hearts. But they are sensible, almost as much
as we are, how feebly, almost mechanically, the
words of sympathy come, not from fault of theirs,
but simply because the strain has been so long.
1 “ Oh when the heart is full, when bitter thoughts
Come crowding thickly up for utterance,
And the poor common words of courtesy
Are such a very mockery — how much
The bursting heart may pour itself in prayer 1 ”
" Come to Me when it is not well with thee ”
(Imit.). His invitation is as pressing the
hundredth and the thousandth time as it was at
first. “Come to Me you who are heavy-laden,
1 Willis.
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118
and I will refresh you.” His Heart does not
sink when He sees us coming. Nay, His delight
is to see us take up our post before the Tabernacle,
too weary, perhaps, to pray — but just to sit before
Him, our eyes upon the little door, waiting for
our refreshment. The sympathy of the Heart
beating there is infinite. It never fails, nor can
fail. When the need ceases, when the long
waiting is rewarded, and the time has come
for Him to share our joy as He has shared
our pain — then, and not till then, will there
be change in the patient Listener there.
Oblation and Petition , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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III
Moods •
Before Communion*
Among the treasures of friendship on which we
have to draw most largely and continuously, is
forbearance. It is not so much that our wants
are many and importunate, as that our moods
are so shifting. Our phases, like the moon’s, are
regular at least in their inconstancy. They come
and go, affecting the brightness of life within and
without, and we can no more prevent these alter-
nations than the queen of night can keep herself
always at the full. “ Sometimes joyful, at other
times sad ; now easy, anon troubled ; at one time
devout, at another dry ; sometimes fervent, at
other times sluggish ; one day heavy, another
lighter,” says one who knew human nature well.
And he has but given a sample of our fluctuations.
Capricious, irresolute, fastidious, fretful, sulky,
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restive, stubborn, we are a riddle to all save to
Him who made us. What should we do without
a divine friendship to fall back upon ! Our Lord
is our resource in every mood. He adapts Himself
to each with a readiness and a grace that imply
no reproach. His invitation never tires : “ Come
to Me, and I will refresh you.” We are always
welcome. There is no sign that our waywardness
or our perversity jars upon Him. He receives
us with a graciousness that soothes while it
shames us. He hears out our one-sided tale
without expostulation or rebuke. And when
the consciousness of His tender interest has
drawn our trouble from us, and the outlet of
our heart into His has relieved and quieted us,
He comes with His gentle touch and heals our
wounds, pouring in oil* and wine, and sends us
again on our way with lightened and braver
hearts.
44 Go thou and do likewise,” is His word to us.
For His friendship is not our resource only, but
our exemplar. O Lord, how little have I sought
to mould myself as a friend on Thee ! In my
relations with those around me the leading
characteristics of friendship have place always.
The exercise of authority may be called for at
one time, of submission at another, but the self-
abnegation, the forbearance, the resourcefulness
of a friend are needed at all times and with all.
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Jesus, Divine Friend, make my heart like unto
Thine.
In His dealings with others how striking is the
self-forgetfulness, the divine charity with which
our Lord lays Himself out to meet the need of
the moment. Is it to draw our attention to this
that St. Matthew recounts for us the calls upon
His attention and sympathy in a single day 1
He was teaching where “many had come
together, so that there was no room, no not
even at the door. ,,
“ And behold they brought to Him one sick of
the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus said to the
man sick of the palsy, . . . Arise, take up thy
bed, and go into thy house. . . .
“And when Jesus passed on from thence, He
saw a man sitting in the custom-house, named
Matthew ; and He saith to him : Follow Me.
“Then came to Him the disciples of John,
saying: Why do we and the Pharisees fast
often, but Thy disciples do not fast ? . . .
“ And as He was speaking to them, behold a
certain ruler came up and adored Him, saying :
Lord, my daughter is even now dead ; but come,
lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And
J esus rising up followed him, with His disciples n
(Matt. ix.).
And having on the way thither healed the
woman who touched the hem of His garment for
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her cure, He came to where Jairus’ little daughter
lay dead. “ And He took her by the hand, and
the maid arose” (Id.) “And He commanded
that something should be given her to eab”
(Mark v.).
“ And as He passed from thence, there followed
Him two blind men crying out and saying, Have
mercy on us, O Son of David. . . . And He
touched their eyes and their eyes were opened. . . .
“And when they were gone out, behold they
brought Him a dumb man, possessed with a devil.
And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man
spoke ” (Matt. ix.).
This is a sample of one of His days.
It was not only the laying of His hands on
these afflicted ones that drew the multitudes after
Him, “ so that they trod one upon another,” it
was the words of sympathy that accompanied His
healing touch. “ Be of good heart, son, thy sins
are forgiven thee.” “Fear not, only believe.”
“ Be of good heart, daughter, go in peace, and be
thou whole of thy disease.” “Talitha, cumi,*
“Maiden, arisa”
In the expression of His face, in the tones of His
voice, there was no trace of a hard day’s teaching
as He took the little children into His arms. As
He “ embraced them, and laid His hands upon
them, and blessed them,” no cloud upon His brow
told of the bitter disappointment at hand when
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the young man whom He loved would turn away
sorrowful from His invitation. The burden of
sin and sorrow that continually pressed upon Him
did not engross Him or prevent Him from enter-
ing with the tenderest solicitude into the sorrows
of others. His Heart was wrung with anguish
as He sat gazing for the last time on His dear
Jerusalem, so soon to be beaten flat to the
ground and her children within her. Yet He
noted with admiration and compassion the mite
that dropped into the corbona, the widow’s offer-
ing of all she had.
None feared to approach Him; He was at
every one’s beck and call. The guileless N athaniel,
the notorious Magdalen, the earnest seeker after
truth, the thoughtless, the selfish, the caviller, all
met with the same courteous kindness. All
found Him leisured, considerate, gentle, helpful.
There was no mistaking the fellow-feeling revealed
by His glance, His smile, the words that fell from
His lips. There was no mistrusting His welcome.
Each sufferer that knelt at His feet was conscious
of being just the one He most wanted to see, the
one for whom He was waiting. Who would have
guessed that He knew those long tales better than
the tellers; that this Friend of publicans and
sinners was the God who abhors iniquity ; that
He to whose lips praise came so readily was the
All-perfect, the searcher of hearts ? He was not
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exacting. He welcomed good wherever He found
it, a little where He could discern no more. The
bruised reed He did not break, and smoking flax
He did not extinguish. His sympathy never failed
or flagged. If, as night fell, His face betrayed
signs of weariness, not so His ear or His Heart.
The last suppliant found Him as attractive, as
attentive as the first that had disturbed His
prayer at break of day.
And thus I find Him after all His experience
of me — patient, tender, devoted, bearing all things,
hoping all things, making Himself all things to
me that He may win me to Himself, win me to a
greater likeness to Him in mind and heart.
“ Shouldst not thou have compassion on thy
fellow-servant even as I have compassion on thee?
I have given you an example that as I have done
to you, so you do also. ,,
O Jesus, Divine Friend, my resource in the
ever-varying moods and needs of life, have patience
with me and help me. Come to me to-day to
work a change in my heart. Let me learn of
Thee. Let me imitate Thee. Warm the coldness
of my selfish nature. Soften my hardness. Fill
me with the burning, self-sacrificing charity of
Thy divine Heart. Make my heart like unto
Thine.
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THE WELCOME OF A FRIEND 125
Sfter (Communion.
“ This is the Christ ” (Acts ix.).
“This is God, our God unto eternity, and for
ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
“ Whence, is this to me that my Lord should
come to me?”
“ Adoro te devote , latens Deitas.”
Devoutly I adore Thee, O hidden Deity.
“ Yerily Thou art a hidden God” (Isa. xlv.).
“ 0 love the Lord, all ye His saints ” (Ps. xxx.).
“Give glory to the Lord for He is good, for
His mercy endureth for ever ” (Ps. cv.).
“ Come, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us
joyfully sing to God our Saviour *' (Ps. xciv.).
“Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to
Him, and His wonderful works to the children of
men” (Ps. cvi.).
Love shows itself by a communication of gifts.
What does our Lord give me this morning? A
Gift than which He has nothing greater or better
to bestow. A Gift that cannot be merited ; that
has no equivalent; that comprises all that is;
that is infinite in dignity and in worth — the Body
and Blood, Soul and Divinity of God made Man.
And this infinite Gift is enhanced by the way
in which it is bestowed. He gives Himself as a
pledge of His love, a pledge of eternal life, a
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pledge we may have daily if we will. Nay, more ;
as a fountain of living water, springing up even
now and here into life everlasting. All that is
needed for purifying, enlightening, strengthening,
satisfying my soul, for ensuring my eternal
salvation, and that finished likeness to Christ in
which perfection consists, is given to me here. O
truly Blessed Sacrament, how hath He not with
thee given us all things !
And what do I give Him in return ? Lord, it
is not much, hut it is all I have. I give Thee
myself, body and soul. I give Thee my life,
strength, desires, resolutions, efforts, all my love
and my trust, my joys and my anxieties, my
aspirations after better things, my labour for the
souls that Thou lovest.
Freely I have received, freely let me give.
Let the sense of my own infirmity, my own need
of sympathy and encouragement, make me alive
to the need of others. My own moods come and
go. I find myself hard to handle. I am a trial
to those about me. May I be tender and com-
passionate to those who like myself are struggling
with nature and are occasionally worsted in the
fight. Let me accommodate myself to them at
times when they need indulgence ; overlook what
is unreasonable and trying ; pass unnoticed what
is the outcome of worry, or disappointment, or
fatigue.
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Teach me, dear Lord, how to lighten the burdens
of others ; how, without gossiping, to listen to and
feel with those in trouble, not inflicting useless
advice, not wearying with barren sympathy, but
exerting myself to be really helpful. Show me
how to deal prudently and tactfully with difficul-
ties, taking heed lest, instead of drawing out a
sting, I envenom it.
I ask of Thee, Lord, the spirit of gentleness;
a compassionate heart fashioned after the likeness
of Thine own ; tender to the sick, the weak, the
erring, the little children, the mourners; eager
to pursue at the cost of labour and weariness, at
the risk of rebuff, even one soul ; ready to give
generously time, interest, sympathy, self-denying
help to those in need.
Let the sight of Thee halting on the road to
Calvary to speak to the women of Jerusalem —
forgetting the throbbing, thorn-crowned head,
the lacerated body, the agonising soul, to think of
them, to provide for them — have force to take
me out of myself in pain of body and mind ; to
make me forget my own grievances in order to
bring to others sympathy and help.
I ponder the first words from the Cross; the
strong cry for Thy crucifiers ; the merciful promise
to the robber by Thy side ; the filial provision
for Thy disconsolate Mother. But I forget the
intolerable, anguish of body and of soul in whioh
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those words were spoken. It was the most awful
of death throes, the fiercest pangs of dereliction
that were calmly put aside to make way for the
needs of others. Ah, Lord, and a slight headache
or annoyance, a little press of work, is enough to
make me preoccupied, inconsiderate and churlish
to all around me !
Dear Master, have patience with me. Teach
me the lesson of sacrifice Thou hast taught to so
many. Let me learn it from my crucifix. Let
me learn it from the daily Sacrifice of Thyself
upon our altars. Let me learn it from the Host
within my breast, Love’s supreme effort to humble
itself to us, to spend itself for us, to prove its
delights are to be with the dear children of men.
Oblation and Petition , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“ Virtue went out from Him and healed all.”
— Luke vi
“ And whithersoever He entered , into towns or
into villages , they laid the sick in the streets , and
besought Him that they might touch but the hem of
His garment ; and as many as touched Him were
made whole” — Mark vi
before GDcmtmmfcn.
What excitement there must have been when
He was expected in a town; what eagerness of
the sick ; what joy of their friends as they laid
them in rows along the narrow streets to await
His coming ! Here a group of children round a
dying father. Here a mother, bedridden for
years, propped up by her daughters. Here, at a
corner, a little boy with his blind grandfather.
All watching, waiting, with breathless impatience.
* 3 *
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All, not hoping, but knowing their sick will go
home cured — the father in the midst of his
rejoicing family ; the mother walking between her
daughters ; the blind man of so many years look-
ing with delight on the face of his little grandson
and guide. Can we realise such a state of things,
such expectancy, such jubilation ? The extra place
at table prepared at home before they set out : the
sick-room for which there will be no further need,
tidied up: the children keeping watch on the
road to catch the first sight of our Lord : their
shouts of joy when along the white dusty way
appear signs of His crowd !
And He is coming to-day — to me !
Thy visit will remind Thee, O Lord, of the old
days in Galilee and Judea when there pressed
round Thee a crowd of deaf and dumb, palsied,
and lame, and blind. And I shall be reminded
of those blessed days when Thou, laying Thy hand
on every one of them, healed them. Thy work
in my soul is more directly that which brought
Thee down from heaven, than the cure of bodily
disease. If Thou wert pleased to show Thyself
so liberal in the lesser need, it was to encourage
me to draw near to Thee, to touch Thee in Holy
Communion with faith and hope, to lay open to
Thee, divine Physician, the wounds of my soul
that Thou mayst heal them. This is what I have
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THE WELCOME OF A PATIENT 133
come to do now. Look on me kneeling at Thy
feet, and pity me and help me.
I am leprous — covered with the unsightly and
dangerous sores of my many sins. Lord, if Thou
wilt, Thou canst make me clean. Say to me : u I
will ; be thou made clean.”
I am sick and weak — for ever halting on the
upward road ; soon tired ; easily discouraged ;
unequal to serious or prolonged effort; always
looking out for ease and rest.
I am blind. What others see clearly is dim
and confused to me. That eternity is coming,
and coming fast ; that I must prepare for death
and judgment ; that I can only live my life once
— all this I believe as the blind man believes in
colour. But such belief is not enough for me to
square my life by. The eyes of my soul must be
opened to perceive what I hold by faith. Lord,
that I may see !
I am blind to the beauties of material creation
that mirror Thee, the Eternal, Uncreated Beauty,
and that lose their meaning unless they lift my
soul to Thee in thanksgiving and praise. I am
blind to the far fairer creations of grace in the
souls of those around me. So little serves to
obscure my sight. So thin a veil hides Thee from
me. How often a keener faith, a truer apprecia-
tion would descry, shining through the human
frailty that scandalises me, the beauty of the
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spirit made to Thy likeness, my God! Lord,
that I may see, that I may see !
I am blind to my faults, prompt, at least, to
excuse in myself what I heartily condemn in
another. I am negligent in my duty of super-
vision, blind to harm going on around me which
I ought to know and check and for which I shall
be held accountable. My God, illuminate my
darkness. Lord, that I may see !
I am deaf. Inspirations come and I heed them
not. I know they are Thy voice, prompting or
reproaching me, suggesting a good thought, a
kind word or act. But if obedience to them
involves trouble or self-sacrifice, I pretend not
to hear. Make me more honest, more generous
with Thee, my God. Let me be glad to know
Thy Will in great things, in little things, in things
that cost. Let it be a real prayer when I say .
44 Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.”
I am dumb. Not in the company of those
needy like myself, unwilling to aid, or powerless.
But in Thine, 0 my Father, who art rich in
mercy, who givest to all abundantly, and with
loving insistence dost press upon me Thy good
gifts In the presence of Thy Beauty and Thy
Goodness I am mute. No praise wells up in my
heart; no cry for mercy comes to my lips. I
have no eager welcome for Thee who dost come
so far to be my Guest. 0 Lord, open Thou my
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THE WELCOME OP A PATIENT 135
lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. Set
my heart free to pour itself out before Thee.
Teach me to pray, that by prayer I may obtain
from Thee the supply of all I need.
Leprous, palsied, blind, deaf, duml> — surely I
need the visit of the Physician !
“Take courage and fear not. Behold your
God Himself will come and will save you. Then
shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall
the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of
the dumb shall be free 99 (Isa. xxxv.).
“Our soul waiteth for the Lord, for He is our
Helper and Protector ” (Ps. xxxi.).
44 The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord. . . .
Thou openest Thy hand and fillest with blessing
every living creature 99 (Ps. cxliv.).
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Son
of David, have mercy on me.
after ffrnnimmfon,
44 1 adore the Lord my God, for He is the living
God” (Dan. xiv.).
44 Adore Him, all you His Angels ” (Ps. xcvi).
44 Exalt ye the Lord our God 99 (Pa xcviii.).
44 0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us
extol His Name together 99 (Ps. xxxiil).
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WELCOME!
136
" I will give glory to the Lord, and will sing to
the Name of the Lord the Most High ” (Ps. vii.).
“ I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my
whole heart, and I will glorify Thy Name for
ever” (Ps. lxxxv.).
“ Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name” (Ps. cii.).
“ Who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth
all thy diseases ” (Id.).
“ Blessed be the Name of His Majesty for ever.
So be it. So be it ” (Ps. lxxi.).
“ The Lord will take away from thee all sickness
and the grievous infirmities which thou knowest ”
(Deut. vii.).
“ More friendly than a brother 99 (Prov. xviii.),
dearest Lord, Thou didst show Thyself to all the
sorrowing and heavy-laden. No sores were too
loathsome for Thy touch ; no sickness however
inveterate but had to yield to Thy word : “ All
they that had any disease were brought to Him,
and He, laying His hand on every one of them,
healed them. ,,
And Thou — the same as then — art with me now.
With the same, nay, with greater compassion,
Thou dost behold the wounds of my soul. I am
too apt to think that whilst the infirmities of the
body call for Thy pity, Thou hast only anger and
indignation for those of the soul. Yet Thy gentle-
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THE WELCOME OF A PATIENT 137
ness with simurs and Thy tender handling of their
wounds should teach me confidence. I cast
myself, then, at Thy feet. I place myself be-
neath Thy healing hand. I wait for the word that
will cure, though not all at once, my pride, my
hastiness of temper, my coldness in prayer, my
uncharitable tongue, my neglect of distasteful
duties. Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst. Say but
the word !
The doctor when he comes on his rounds expects
from the ward Sister an intelligent account of her
patient’s condition. She should show an accurate
chart of pulse, respiration, temperature. She
must be able to report on sleep or the want of it,
and on any change in the nature or in the chief
features of the disease. She is eyes and ears to
the doctor in his absence, and his treatment de-
pends to a great extent on her watchfulness and
truthful statement of what she sees and hears.
I am the nurse appointed to tend my sick soul.
And I am ashamed to own that I am a very in-
different, not to say careless nurse. I shirk work.
I take little trouble to ascertain the wants of my
charge. I expose it to injury. I neglect its food
and medicine. I sleep when I should watch.
What account can I give when my knowledge is
so superficial and all my nurse’s instincts are at
fault ?
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Happily the Divine Physician knows all. He
needs not that any should give testimony of
man, for He knows what is in man. “ For every
heart is understood by Him ” (Ecclus. xvi.). 44 The
eyes of the Lord behold the good and the evil ”
(Prov. xv.). 44 All the ways of a man are open
to His eyes” (Id.).
All-wise and compassionate Physician, forgive
my negligence. To Thee I commit my charge.
“ 0 God, I beseech Thee, heal her ” (Num. xii).
Have pity on her because she is my only one.
And give me the. instincts and the virtues of my
calling, in which I am so sadly wanting. Nurs-
ing demands untiring energy, vigilance, cheerful-
ness, and an inexhaustible stock of patience.
There is the trouble necessary for ascertaining
the nature of the disease — its supposed cause, its
time and mode of onset — with a view to its proper
treatment. There is the marking of the chart
morning and evening. There is watching day
and night. There is firmness to withhold unwise
indulgence. There is medicine and feeding timed.
Then the mending is so slow. Temperature rises
at the least provocation. The patient will do
what is imprudent, and there are relapses, and
all the treatment has to be begun over again.
Monotonous work when it goes on year after year.
More monotonous, perhaps, when the patient to
be treated is my own soul.
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THE WELCOME OF A PATIENT 139
Never to weary of the daily round of duty, of
the vigilance, the precautions, the relapses ; never
to despair of my charge — Lord, it is hard. What
should we do, “ I and my soul ” (Tobias xiii), but for
the cheering visits of the Physician. He is long-
suffering and kind. He is prepared for anything
in the shape of capriciousness, restlessness, per-
versity. He shows neither surprise, nor disgust,
nor disappointment ; bearing all things, believing
all things, hoping all things. To-day with bright
eager faces we welcome Him to our bedside. To-
morrow, heavy and discouraged, we have scarcely
a word of thanks for His coming. He takes us
as we are. He knows our imperfect being. We
have not to deal with one who cannot have com-
passion on our infirmities, but with Him who
has said: “They that are whole need not the
physician, but they that are sick ” (Luke v.).
Courage, then, my soul ! “ Is not He thy Father
that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and
created thee?” (Deut. xxxii.). “A forgiving God,
gracious and merciful, long-suffering and full of
compassion” (2 Esdras ix.). He is mighty to for-
give ” (Ecclus. xvi.). “ He will have mercy on thee
more than a mother” (Ecclus. iv.). “The Lord
will take away from thee all sickness and the
grievous infirmities which thou knowest. He
raiseth up the soul, and enlighteneth the eyes,
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and giveth health, and life, and blessing 77 (Ecclus.
xxxiv.). “This only take care of with all diligence,
that you love the Lord your God 77 (Jos. xxiii.).
“ I will close up thy scar, and will heal thee of
thy wounds, saith the Lord 77 ( J er. xxx.).
u Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed ; save
me, and I shall be saved 77 (Jer. xvii.).
Oblation and Petition , p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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II
“ He, laying His hands on every one of them ,
healed ihem . n — Luke iv.
Before fifcmununfon.
Two things strike us specially in the account of
our Lord’s cures — their number, and their being
due in almost every case to contact with the
Sacred Humanity. “And coming to her He
lifted her up, taking her by the hand ” (Mark
i.). 44 And Jesus stretched forth His hand, and
touching him saith to him : I will, be thou made
clean” (Id.). “ Then He touched their eyes . . .
and their eyes were opened ” (Matt. ix.). 14 He
put His fingers into his ears, and touched his
tongue. And immediately his ears were opened
and the string of his tongue was loosed ” (Mark
vii.). That life and healing lay in His simple
touch was well known : 44 Come, lay Thy hand
upon her and she shall live ” (Matt. ix.). 44 They
* 4 *
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brought to Him a blind man, and they besought
Him that He would touch Him” (Mark viii.).
“If I shall touch but His garment I shall be
whole ” (Mark v.). “ All the multitude sought
to touch Him, for virtue went out from Him and
healed all” (Luke vi.).
Note the repetition of the word “all” in
reference to our Lord's cures. “Jesus went
about all Galilee . • . healing all manner of sick-
ness and every infirmity among the people. And
His fame went throughout all Syria, and they
presented to Him all sick people that were taken
with divers diseases and torments, and such as
were possessed by devils, and lunatics, and
those that had the palsy, and He cured them ”
(Matt. iv.). And when the sun was down, all they
that had any sick with divers diseases, brought
them to Him. But He laying His hands on
every one of them, healed them (Luke iv.).
In no case, indeed, are we told of His touching
any sufferer actually possessed by the devil. He
“commanded” or “threatened” the evil spirit
and he went out. But as soon as the poor victim
was freed from his thraldom, he was permitted
close approach to his Saviour. “ They found the
man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting
at His feet ” (Luke viii.). “ And crying out and
greatly tearing him, the devil went out of him,
and he became as one dead. . . . But Jesus
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THE WELCOME OP A PATIENT 143
taking him by the hand lifted him up” (Mark
ix.).
The same law holds good now. The soul that
has actually given itself over to “ the most wicked
one” by mortal sin may not dare in that state
to draw near by Sacramental Communion to 44 the
Holy One of God.” But the instant that by a
good confession it is restored to grace, it may
enjoy His intimate Presence by whom it has been
healed.
It is characteristic of the Son of Man to will
that cure should come from contact with His
sacred flesh. During His life on earth it was the
exception when He healed ac a distance. But
healing was dealt out broadcast to those who put
themselves within reach of His touch. “He,
laying His hands on every one of them, healed
them.” Not a word about merits. They came to
Him. That was enough. He healed them.
44 Behold the hand of the Lord is not shortened ”
(Isa. lix.). He wills that virtue should go out
from Him still. His complaint is still : 44 You
will not come to Me that you may have life”
(John v.). His promise holds good from age to
age : 44 He that eateth Me, the same also shall live
by Me. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh
My blood hath everlasting life, and I will raise
him up at the last day ” (John vi.). \nd His
threat, too, holds good : 44 Except you eat the
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flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you
shall not have life in you ” (Id.).
True, certain conditions are required. We
must “prove ourselves,” as the Apostle says.
We must not give Him the kiss of Judas, and
draw near to Him in order to betray Him. Is
this asking too much? It is all He asks. At
least it is all He strictly requires. The man who
last night was in mortal sin, His enemy, meriting
eternal banishment from Him, may, restored to
grace this morning, draw near to embrace Him,
to receive from Him the kiss of peace and the
welcome due to a friend. It helps us to know
how little He exacts. Not that we shall content
ourselves with that little, but that, set at rest as
to the fulfilment of His easy conditions, we may
approach Him, as He so earnestly desires, with
the love that casteth out fear.
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter
under my roof. I am not worthy — but I have a
right The starving poor may take food where
and how they can; their right is their need.
The sick poor may come to the dispensary and
have their ailments cared for “ without money and
without any price.” Thus it is that I claim Thee,
0 Bread of Life, O remedy of all my ills. Thou
knowest my soul through and through, its weak-
ness, its dangerous diseases, its need of Thy
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THE WELCOME OF A PATIENT 145
healing touch. And never was remedy so near.
Not His garment, but Himself, Body and Blood,
and Soul, and Divinity given as medicine to my
soul. Again, as in the days of His life on earth,
He goes to and fro amongst us, healing all
manner of sickness and every infirmity. Again
there come to Him the blind and the lame in the
Temple, pressing upon Him for to touch Him, as
many as have evils ” (Mark iii.).
" 0 kind Physician, I come to Thee ; I commit
myself to Thy hands. Heal me, 0 Lord, and I
shall be healed ; save me, and I shall be saved ”
(Jer. xvii.). Give me that Good in which is all
good, which is life, vigour, growth, the cure of
every disease, the satisfying of every need. For
how hast Thou not with Thyself given us all
things 1
after ffiflmmtmfotk
Adoro Te )m devote, latens Deltas .
Devoutly I adore Thee, 0 Hidden God
e< Adore Him, all you His Angels” (Ps. xcvLJ*
*/ Exalt ye the Lord our God ” (Ps. xcviii.).
“ 0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us extol
His Name together” (Ps. xxxiii).
“ Because He that is mighty hath done great
things to me, and holy is His Name ” (Luke i.).
“ Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name” (Ps. cii.).
E
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“ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Ps. cii.).
u Who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth
all thy diseases” (Id.).
“ He raiseth up the soul and enlighteneth the
eyes, and giveth health, and life, and blessing ”
(Ecclus. xxxiv.).
u Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed ; save
me, and I shall be saved ” (Jer. xvii.).
" Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee ”
(Ps. xl).
“O God, I beseech Thee, heal her” (Hum.
xii.).
I adore Thee profoundly, O Sacred Humanity
of my Saviour, source of all our good :
0 face on which the angels desire to look, on
which Mary looked continually, and worshipped
with the adoration of the creature and the delight
of the Mother's heart — I adore Thee.
O hands that lay swathed in the manger and
fastened with cruel nails to the Cross : that cured
every disease and every infirmity ; that cAqJed
the wasting heat of the fever-stricken, and were
laid so tenderly on our sores ; that gave sight to
the blind, and hearing to the deaf, and strength
and grace to the palsied and the deformed — I
adore you here truly present, and commit myself
to you for healing and for blessing ! 0 feet that
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THE WELCOME OP A PATIENT 147
went wearily to and fro seeking the lost sheep ;
that were anointed and kissed by Magdalen and
held fast for the adoration of the faithful women
on the morning of their resurrection from the
dead — I adore you and bless you, and kiss the dear
wounds you bore for me !
O Heart which had compassion on the hungry
and the shepherdless, on the widow and the out-
cast, and poor perverse Jerusalem; that beat
quicker at the welcome of those who loved Thee,
and wert sorrowful even unto death at the deser.
tion and betrayal of Thine own; O Heart that
loved me and delivered Thyself for me, that art
beating now with love for me close to my own
poor heart — I adore Thee and bless Thee for all
Thou hast done and suffered for my salvation, for
all the wonders Thou hast wrought to give Thy-
self to me to-day !
Let me see, my God, by Thy divine light the
hidden things of my own heart, those things that
my pride keeps from me. As long as I turn
away my eyes from what is repulsive in me, I
shalP&e in darkness ; there will be a veil between
myself and Thee. “ Rabboni, that I may see ! ”
The cry of the blind man of Jericho is my cry.
Let me know myself and know Thee ; know my-
self that I may come to know Thee. If Thou art
not to me what Thou art to Thy Saints, it is
because I do not know Thee as they do. I do not
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see as they see Thy Beauty, Thy Goodness, Thy
Tenderness, Thy Love. Lord, that I may see!
see Thy beauty in all the mysteries of Thy blessed
life ; Thy goodness in all Thou hast done for me ;
Thy tenderness in Thy Beal Presence with me,
and in the forgiveness of my many sins ; Thy love
in all that happens to me. Lord, make me quick
to see Thee everywhere and in all things — Lord,
that I may see !
My God, I believe. I am cold, hard, dry, but I
believe firmly in Thy Beal Presence within me.
I believe that Thou art nearer to me than to the
friends of Thy life on earth, who received Thee
under their roofs, who were rocked with Thee in
Peter's boat, who led Thee to their sick and to
the grave of their dead, who brought their little
children to Thy feet.
My God, I hope in Thee. Not as I ought
when I think of Thy mercies to me, and of Thy
promises. But I trust Thee and trust myself to
Thee, with all I have, with all I love, all my
interests, all I need for my happiness in this life
and the next. Give me light to see Thy goodness
in all things that I may trust Thee more. Let
me count on Thee like Martha and Mary, and
cast all my care on Thee, certain that every
prayer is heard, that Thou wilt bring help in Thy
own time and in the best time.
My God, I love Thee. Not as Thy goodnes*
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deserves to be loved, but as much as I can love
Thee now. Enkindle my heart with the love of
Thy own now so near to mine.
My God, I long to sorrow for my sins purely for
Thy sake, for love of Thee. Wert Thou to offer
me one of two graces, perfect contrition or final
perseverance, I think I should choose the first.
Yet I must have that last grace which will put
me in possession of Thee for ever. Then give
them both to me that for all eternity I may
glorify the mercy that has been so good, so good
to me, a sinner.
Oblation. Petition , pp. 169, 371.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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III
“ Is there no physician there f Why , then, is not
the wound of the daughter of My people closed ? ”
— Jer. viii.
Before (Communion,
Why ? Perhaps through some want of docility to
the prescriptions of the Physician, through some
imprudence in venturing rashly into occasions of
harm. Perhaps because He sees fit to work a
gradual cure. It is not with sick souls as with
the generality of the infirm of Judea and Galilee
in the days of His Ministry. The healing of
these was instantaneous. But this is not His
usual way of dealing with spiritual ailments.
Their cure, like that of the blind man of Bethsaida,
is worked by little and little. “ And laying His
hands on him He asked him if he saw anything.
And looking up, he said : I see men as it were
trees walking. After that again He laid His hands
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upon his eyes and he began to see, and was restored,
so that he saw all things clearly ” (Mark viii).
If I want a perfect restoration I must bring
myself often within His reach. I must feel
again and again the touch of the Divine hands.
It needs no great penetration into the counsels of
God to see the gain to me of this His usual way
of leading souls to sanctification. Left for a time,
perhaps for a very long time, to struggle with my
evil inclinations, I learn humility and patience,
and find continual occasions of merit. Meantime,
amid alternate manifestations of strength and
weakness, the work goes forward, especially in
the precious moments when the great Physician is
with me, by His Presence and His touch perfect-
ing my cure.
How little improvement the three years’ close
companionship with our Lord seemed to work in
the Twelve. They noticed no striking change in
one another, they were conscious of none in them-
selves* But He saw a steady transformation
going forward, and rejoiced. He saw how the
love of Himself, which brings with it all good, was
gradually raising their standards, was widening,
purifying, and kindling their hearts, and preparing
the material for the fire which at Pentecost was
to descend upon them and transform them into
other men. Slowly and quietly, as is the wont
with the works of God, they grew in the know-
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ledge and likeness of the Bon of God, till each in
his measure and capacity, and according to the
designs of God over him, became alter Chridus>
a second Christ. So will it be with ns. Those
about us, nay, we ourselves, may see no appreciable
difference in our lives for many a day. Our many
imperfections, our clinging selfishness, may seem
to clog our way as persistently as ever. But we
must not lose heart. “And he put his mouth
upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and
his hands upon his hands . . . and the child’s
flesh grew warm” (4 Kings iv.). To a closer
union still our Lord condescends that He may
Warm my frozen heart. Not all at once, but
surely, His Heart close to mine will kindle it. I
shall know it. I shall feel it. I shall be con-
strained to say with humble gratitude to the God
of the Eucharist : “ He that is mighty hath done
great things for me.”
I must bear in mind, however, that dispositions
count for much in this transformation. Though
the Holy Eucharist by the mere fact of its recep-
tion in a state of grace adds to the soul’s merit
here and glory hereafter, yet, like the seed sown
in varying degrees of good soil, its fruit will be
here thirty, here sixty, here a hundredfold. In
one Communion is grace enough to cure every
disease and supply every need. But our im-
perfect dispositions hinder the effect of the
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Sacrament and interfere sadly with the loving
designs of our Lord, who comes to us eager to
enrich and make us happy.
Oh that He would satisfy this desire of His,
and for His own sake would prepare His way
and increase the capacity of our souls ! “ Open
thy mouth wide and I will fill it" (Ps. lxxx.),
He says. “ You that thirst, come to the waters ”
(Isa. lv.).
My God, there is so much to be done in
my soul. So much to be purified, enlightened,
warmed, remodelled, restored. So much lost
time to be repaired; so much grace forfeited
to be made good ; so many missed opportunities
that, alas, can never return, to be compensated
by more strenuous efforts now. 0 Lord, help me,
make haste to help me. Remember that all
power is given Thee in heaven and on earth.
Thou art Lord of all, and there is none that can
resist Thy Will" (Esther xiii.). Thou canst
produce mature fruits quickly, Thou canst lay
foundations late. Say but the word and my soul
shall be healed. O Lord, make haste to help me 1
“ Do it for Thy Name’s sake ” (Jer. xiv.).
u 1 have regarded My own holy Name. ... It
is not for your sake that I will do this, O house
of Israel, but for My holy Name’s sake. ... I will
give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within
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you. And I will take the stony heart out of your
flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will
put My Spirit in the midst of you” (Ezechiel
xxxvi.).
after (Ecmmumon.
“ O ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all for ever *
(Dan. iii.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
“ Praise ye the Name of the Lord, O you His
servants, you that stand in the house of the
Lord, in the courts of the house of our God*
(Ps. cxxxiv.).
“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us
extol His Name together ” (Ps. xxxiii.).
“ For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and
hath filled the hungry soul with good things*
(Ps. cvi.).
“Give glory to the Lord for He is good, for
His mercy endureth for ever ” (Id.).
“ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Ps. cii.).
a He raiseth up the soul and enlighteneth the
eyes, and giveth health, and life, and blessing 99
(Ecclus. xxxiv.).
How hath He not with Himself given us all
things 1
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“ Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift n
(2 Cor. ix.).
“Lord, I suffer violence, answer for me”
(Isa. xxxviii.). I believe most firmly that Thou
art here present. I know that the Master is
come and calleth for me. And I am powerless
to rouse myself to anything like response. All
that faith does is to keep painfully before me
what I ought to be and to do. It does not
go on to supply the need: it does not lead to
worship, and thanksgiving, and love. Effort
only tires. Self-reproach irritates and makes
things worse. What shall I do, Lord? What
is there that I can do ?
Lie still before Thee like the poor paralytic
on his couch ; look wistfully ; wait patiently ; be
glad that Thy glory is not dependent on any
exertion or achievement of mine ; take comfort
from the thought that the physician does not look
for entertainment on the part of his patient. He
comes to see, not what should be, but what is.
O Physician of my soul, I am best seen by Thee
at my worst. Thy visit is well timed. Take Thy
seat by my bedside ; lay my fevered hand in Thine ;
note how weak I am. Scarcely can I turn my head
to look at Thee, or speak a word, or give a smile of
welcome. Lord, I suffer violence, answer for me.
The physician questions the nurse. Lord,
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IS 6
Thou knowest all things and needest not to
ask of any. My soul is the work of Thy hands.
Its every disease and infirmity, each flaw, and
ache, and sore is known to Thee, better known
than to itself. And the sources whence all these
spring ; the fund of misery which is the fallen
creature’s heritage ; its hidden springs of action ;
its capabilities ; its limitations — all this is known
to Thee. “ For neither is there any creature
invisible in Thy sight, but all things are naked
and open to Thine eyes” (Heb. iv.). If such a
One shall answer for us, will not all be well?
His knowledge of us is our hope. For we have
not a Physician who cannot have compassion on
our infirmities. u For He knoweth our frame, He
remembereth that we are dust ” (Ps. cii.).
To answer for another is not to ignore or slur
over what is faulty, but to make common cause
with the defaulter. Do this for me, 0 merciful
Advocate.' Stand in my stead; undertake my
defence ; meet all charges against me. The
miserable welcome I give Thee to-day may be
the result of my own wrong-doing or of physical
causes; in either case, answer for me. Thou
who knowest my frame, who seest what calls
for blame in my state, and what for pity-
answer for me, find excuse for me. With the
sinner Thais I cry to Thee : “ Thou who hast
made me, have mercy on me.”
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44 What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of
the most High God,” cried the evil spirit in the
synagogue of Capharnaum. It was a wail of
despair. The poor ruined creature recognised
the presence of God made man, the promised
Saviour, but knew that it was not for its sake He
had come.
0 Jesus, my Saviour, it is for us, it is for me
that Thou art here. I have everything to do
with Thee. Thou art more to me than father,
mother, sister, brother. I am Thy redeemed one,
bought with a great price; Thy strayed sheep
brought back on Thy shoulders to the fold ; Thy
friend invited to Thy table, fed with Bread
from heaven. Jesus, who to save me wert made
man and dwelt amongst us ; Jesus, who hast loved
me even unto the death of the Cross ; Jesus, who
hast delivered me from the wrath to come — I have
everything to do with Thee. Thou art all in all
to me. For what have I in heaven, and besides
Thee what do I desire upon earth. Thou art the
God of my heart, and the God that is my portion
for ever.
Oblation and Petition . , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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I
On the Seashore.
Before Communion*
Is there a more beautiful picture in the Gospels,
even in St. Luke’s picture Gospel, than the closing
scene of St. John’s?
The disciples are gathered round our Lord
after their miraculous haul of fish. It is on the
shore of the Sea of Galilee, that spot rich on
every side with memories of their Master. Far
into the distance stretches the pebbly beach,
recalling their vocation three years ago, when
they left all things to follow Him. Yonder,
behind the mountains, lies the plain where He
fed the hungry multitude. High up is the ledge
of rock where He prayed that night of the
miracle, the tempest howling round Him. Down
those slopes He came to them, and across the
s6s I»
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stormy waves. Here He had taught from Peter's
boat. Here too, once before, He had blessed
their fishing, and promised that thenceforth they
should catch men.
It is early morning ; no one about as yet, save
in the distance a few fishermen coming in dis-
appointed after a toilsome night. The seven have
Him all to themselves, for since the Resurrection
He comes for His friends alone.
The Resurrection — what memories that word
awakens! What they have learned since then.
They look back upon their three years' com-
panionship with Jesus of Nazareth, and marvel
at the Providence of God. The path that
so plainly led to Calvary was hidden from
them lest they should be scandalised and fall
away from Him. He spoke of what was to
come, and they understood not. He told them
that the Shepherd should be struck, and that
the flock would be scattered, and they had met
His warnings with vehement protestation. Then
the storm had broken over them. It had swept
them from His side for a brief space, but His
love had sought them, His arm had gathered
them again, and here on the seashore they were
round Him once more.
All was clear now — how it was meet that
Christ should suffer and so enter into His glory ;
how the disciples must be as their Lord, and
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through many tribulations enter into the Kingdom
of God.
See them, these seven — Peter has swum ashore,
and his rough seaman’s coat is dripping on the
sand. But He is absolutely unconscious of dis-
comfort. His weather-beaten face is aglow with
love and enthusiasm as he looks upon the Face of
his Master. Not a trace in him of diffidence or
depression. Was he not forgiven ? Had not the
Lord made right the past and restored all he had
forfeited ? Why should he not rejoice with the
innocent, and be foremost in the service still ? It
was Peter who led out to that night’s fishing ; he
who at John’s whispered word : “ It is the Lord,”
had cast himself into the sea with the old eager-
ness for a secret word before the rest sliould
come. It was he who at his Master’s bidding
went up and drew the net to land full of great
fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. In reward
of his profession, not of faith as at Caesarea
Philippi, but of love, he is presently to receive
the charge of the whole flock, and the promise of
a death like to his Lord’s whereby to glorify God.
Eager, trusting soul, how dear he is to Christ I
Close to him is Thomas. He had missed too
much by btdng parted from Peter to risk separa-
tion from him any more. See him feasting eyes
and heart on his Lord and his God, for whom in
his loyalty he had desired to die*
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And Bartholomew, the guileless, fit companion
for John.
And John himself, with that far-reaching gaze
of his penetrating the mysteries of “ the Word of
life which was from the beginning, which he had
heard, and seen, and handled ” ( 1 John i.) with
such familiarity in the past. How he marvels at
his boldness in laying his head on that breast, at
the love that had made him, among the beloved,
a the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
Feel the freshness of the morning breeze. See
the blue Lake ; the fire flickering on the strand ;
the silvery, moving mass of fish; our Lord in
His own affectionate way inviting the disciples :
“ Come and dine ” ; taking His place among
them; helping them. See the awe and be-
wildered delight with which they gaze on Him
and take food from His hand.
Notice in Christ our Lord the marvellous
union of the human and the divine. By a word
He had filled their nets and provided fire and
bread. Now with gentle courtesy He invites
them to take refreshment: “Come and dine.”
“ Come,” not “ Go.” “ And Jesus cometh and
taketh bread and giveth them, and fish in like
manner.” Is He not determined that they shall
acknowledge Him for the same as heretofore?
What wonder that with all their incredulity and
hardness of heart they can no longer deny Him
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the trust He seeks; that here on the seashore
none of them who are at meat durst ask Him :
u Who art Thou,” knowing that it is the Lord.
When will His lowliness and His sweetness
bear the same fruit in us? When will the
urgency of His invitation bring us as eager guests
to His table, our faith and trust so strong, that
in spite of our unworthiness we have no mis-
givings, " knowing that it is the Lord ” ?
Our Divine Brother is “ like us in all things ”
— yet how unlike! To forgive and forget is a
hard task for us, but look at Him here at meat
with the seven. For three years these men have
been His carefully trained disciples. They have
seen His miracles, and have been themselves
entrusted with His miraculous powers. They
have been His confidants and familiar friends.
They declared their readiness to go with Him to
prison and to death. And in the hour of His
need — “ they all leaving Him, fled.” What
wonder that when He returned to them from the
dead, risen to an immortal life, they should be
slow to believe He could ever be to them as
before ; that they looked timidly into His Face
to read there what they might expect. How
did He meet that wistful glance ? How did He
treat these friends, so frail, and yet withal so
true ? With all the tenderness of His generous
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self-forgetting Heart. It needed all the loving
ways, nay, more than the affectionateness of the
past to reassure them. Therefore it was that He
gave to all abundantly, upbraiding not, gave with
freer hand because of their greater need. More
than ever must He identify Himself with them
and share with them all He has. At the Last
Supper He had said : “ I will not now call you
servants, but I have called you friends.” After
the Resurrection they are no longer friends, but
“ brethren.” “Go to My brethren and say to
them : I ascend to My Father and to your Father,
to My God and your God.”
He is the same now ; the same with us as with
the seven on the seashore that day ; “Jesus Christ
yesterday, to-day, and for ever.” When the fear
of past or of present infidelity casts us down, let
us draw near to that blessed group by the Lake,
and see Him seated amid His brethren, the men
who had denied and forsaken Him. And casting
an eye upon the Tabernacle where He is with us
still, hear Him say to us too : “ Fear not, it is I
Myself.”
after Communion.
Whence is this to me that my Lord should
come to me ?
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
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Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst
enter under my root
“ Let all Thy works, O Lord, praise Thee, and
let Thy saints bless Thee ” (Ps. cxliv.).
“ I will be glad and rejoice in Thee ” (Ps. ix.).
“ I will extol Thee, O God my King : and I will
bless Thy Name for ever, yea for ever and ever ”
(Ps. cxliv.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
and you that fear Him, little and great” (Apoc.
xix.).
“ Sing to the Lord, O ye His saints” (Pa
xxix.).
“ 0 love the Lord, all ye His saints ” (Ps. xxx.).
“ Praise ye the Name of the Lord, O you His
servants, you that stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God” (Pa
cxxxiv.).
" Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good ; sing
ye to His Name, for it is sweet ” (Ps. cxxxiv.).
I thank Thee, O dearest Lord, for all Thou
art, all Thou hast been to me. Mine is a long*
standing debt. From eternity to eternity Thou
art God. From eternity to eternity I have been
with Thee, to whom all things are present. I
have had a place in Thy designs. I have had
focussed upon me all the Wisdom, all the Love,
of the eternal God. Every circumstance of my
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life, even to its least detail, has been from eternity
chosen by Him, in view of the position in His
Court that is to be mine some day, of the place in
His Heart that is mine now.
I thank Thee, Lord, for the love with which
from eternity Thou didst determine to become
man for me ; to live a humble life for my example
and consolation ; to go through Thy cruel Passion,
to found Thy Church, to institute Thy Sacra-
ments — for me. To leave the Bosom of the
Father and become a wayfarer on earth, would
cost Thee much : but Thou couldst pay the price
— it was for me. The coldness and ingratitude
of men, the scourging, the falling away of Thy
friends, the desolation of Thy Blessed Mother,
the dereliction on the Cross — all this would
be hard to bear, but not too hard — it was
for me. Oh what it would cost to furnish
those “ Fountains of the Saviour 99 whence I was
to draw with joy; to provide that Table at
which I was to be ever a welcome guest ! Not
with corruptible things, but with the last drop
of His Blood was my Redemption to be pur-
chased. I was to be bought with a great price,
but He gave it willingly, eagerly, for it was to
deliver me from the wrath to come.
And the return 1 He saw it in Gethsemane,
and was made sorrowful even unto death. He
saw what I should account acknowledgment
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sufficient for all He has done for me. He
saw me assisting at His unbloody Sacrifice;
He saw the sorrow I bring to the Sacrament
of forgiveness; the welcome I give Him in the
Sacrament of His love. Was it worth His while
to do so much for such return as I should make
Him? Yes, so He judged it. I should not be
always irresponsive. At last the sense of His
loving-kindness would break in upon my soul;
I should come to realise something of the value
of His unspeakable Gift; I should desire, at
least, to return Him love for love. He could
wait. He has waited until now.
How long, O Lord, how long ? Has not the
time come for my heart to make such response
as it can to Thine ? “O my Lord, let me love
Thee, and let the reward of my love be to love
Thee daily more and more 99 (St. Ignatius).
Oblation.
*•* What shall I offer to the Lord that is worthy f
Wherewith shall I kneel before the high God ? ” —
Micheas vi.
I have nothing but what is His gift to me.
But His own gifts He will accept from my hand
as if they were not already His; as if they were
something of which He stands in need, and for
the bestowal of which He accounts Himself my
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debtor. O loving Lord, how immense is Thy
condescension to me, Thy needy creature; how
tender Thy compassion for me, Thy little child !
I come to Thee, then, with all I have and am.
I offer Thee my soul and body, all the good things
of this life with which Thou hast blessed me — my
family, my friends. My work and my amuse-
ments, my responsibilities and my anxieties, my
temptations and dangers, my desires and dis-
appointments, all the circumstances and vicissi-
tudes of life, all its trials and its consolations, all
my interests for this world and the world to come,
my life and my death — I offer them all to Thee^
dear Lord.
And since this is still a worthless offering, I
gather together and bring to Thee all the glory
and praise rendered Thee from the beginning, and
to be rendered throughout eternity by any of Thy
creatures — the undistracted worship of the Angels ;
the labours of the Apostles and of missioners to
spread the knowledge of Thy Name ; the constancy
of the Martyrs and of the multitude of meek
sufferers who have followed Thee bearing their
cross; the patience of the Confessors, and of all
who in the ceaseless conflict with self hold on
in spite of weariness and defeat, to the end ; all
the purity of the Virgins; all the tears of those
who have washed their robes and made them
white in the Blood of the Lamb. I rejoice in the
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love and loyalty of these Thy faithful servants,
and offer it to Thee in reparation for my coldness
and my sloth. I unite in the perfect worship and
service of Thy one perfect creature, the Virgin
most faithful, loftiest in dignity, lowliest in self-
abasement before Thee. I offer Thee the worship
that alone is adequate, alone is worthy of Thee—
the praise, reverence, and service of Thy Incarnate
Son ; all the sufferings of His infancy, the priva-
tions of His youth, the hardships and persecutions
of His manhood, the torments of His Passion,
the glory of His Resurrection, His intercession
for us in the heavens at Thy right hand, the
unspeakable Gift of His Real Presence with us
to the end of time, the pure Oblation, the per-
petual Sacrifice with its infinite merits offered to
Thy Name in every place throughout the world.
Behold, O God our Protector, and look on th«
Face of Thy Christ. How have we not also with
Him given Thee all things ?
Petition.
** If thou didst know the Gift of God!"
" O child, did you but know the power you have
now over My Heart, you would do it a holy
violence, you would wrest from Me the grace that
the violent bear away. You would save sinners
who are going to refuse their last grace. You
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would rescue the little children whose parents
have given them over to be slain. You would
place at once in heaven the souls that are crying
for your pity and your help. You would strengthen
the hands and cheer the hearts of My dearly loved
mission ers who carry My Name to those who
know Me not. You would win the light of faith
for those who are seeking it, and strength for
those who have found the treasure but lack
courage to sell all they have to purchase it. If
you knew what I have done for you in giving you
Myself, if you had faith as a grain of mustard
seed, you would stretch out your hand to strong
things (Prov. xxxi.). To the uttermost parts
of the earth, and beyond the earth, into the
dreary land of Purgatory, wherever redeemed
souls are to be saved and helped, the fruits of your
Communion would reach.”
I wish, O Lord, that I could open Thy way into
every heart, that I could put the keys of every
fortress over the wide earth into Thy hands.
But they are there already. Not only the keys
of death and hell, but the key to every human
heart is in Thy keeping. All its complex wards
Thou knowest ; the rust of years that makes in-
gress difficult is no bar to Thee. Every difficulty
yields to Thy touch. Thou holdest the key, O
Lord, nay, Thou art Thyself the key. “ O key of
David, who openest, and no one shutteth ; shut-
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test, and no one openeth ; come, and deliver from
prison the fettered sitting in darkness and in the
shade of death.”
I pray to Thee for all who are mine, all whom
Thou hast given me to love and care for. May
my Communion be their safeguard and their
growth in grace to-day. May it be light, and
strength, and consolation to our holy Father, the
Pope, to all bishops and priests, to all who are
striving to win souls to Thee, to the poor, the
suffering, the tempted, the little children. May
its grace flow through the Church like the river
of the water of life through the Heavenly Jerusa-
lem, and let its fruits be the healing of the
nations. Let it flow to every soul outside the
unity of the visible jJhurch, to my relatives and
friends, to the poor heathen beyond the reach of
sacramental grace. 0 Jesus, my heart sinks at
the thought of the nine hundred millions of
redeemed souls that now, in this twentieth
century, have not as yet heard their Saviour's
Name! Send forth labourers into the vineyard
and bring to Thy knowledge and Thy love these
multitudes bought with Thy Precious Blood.
They say that Teresa won to Thee as many souls
as Francis Xavier. The nee<J of intercessory
prayer has not lessened since her day, and if
there are not now Saints enough to move Thy
mercy, what canst Thou do, 0 Lord, but hear the
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prayers of sinners? Hear my prayer, it has
more than the efficacy of a Saint’s to-day, it is
Thine own, for Thou art mine.
O Heart of Christ, Ark of the perishing world,
to Thee all the elect are fleeing for safety from
the wrath of God and the torrents of iniquity
that cover the earth. Draw into Thy shelter, not
only those who seek it, but those that seek it not
and need it most. Thou wert opened on Calvary
to admit us all, and through all time Thou
remainest open that all who will may be saved
by Thee. When the last of the elect shall have
entered into salvation by Thee, the door will be
closed and the wrath of God descending will
consume all not found therein.
O Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust
in Thee, have mercy on us ! Heart of Jesus that
hast delivered us from the wrath to come, draw all
men to Thee, compel them to come in that the
number of the saved may be multiplied. Wher-
ever there is temptation to be overcome, innocence
to be guarded, death to be met by sea or by land,
final perseverance to be assured, the good to be
supported, the weak to be strengthened, the
fallen to be raised, the sad to be comforted — there
let the fruit of Communion be !
Prayer before a Crucifix, pi Ifc
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II
"If Re delay , wait for Rim," — Hab. ii.
JSrfote GTommtmtott.
“ I wish our Lord were more to me,” we often
say or think. Who does not wish this ? “ Who
is there/* says k Kempis, “ that would not will-
ingly receive comfort, if he could always have it ? ”
But these heavenly visitations are few and far
between. We could not be trusted with them
often. God sometimes gives them plentifully,
twice in a spiritual course — at the beginning, when
the soul first turns to Him and has to be enticed
into the narrow way of self-conquest ; and towards
the close of the journey if it has been brave and,
so to speak, merited a reward. But with the
most of us, perhaps, as with our predecessors in
the desert, “ God is not well pleased.” There is
no particular reason why He should treat us as
*75
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176
favourites, nor is there anything very special to
reward. Hence, having got us safely into the
way of salvation, He gives us abundantly all
needful help, puts up with our niggardly service,
sets right our mistakes, forgives our many lapses,
and bears with us patiently when we cry out to
Him for consolation and sweetness.
“You know not what you ask,” He says to
us at times, as to James and John. “Could
you see your labour as I see it, you would be
ashamed to ask for more than your promised
penny. You would see, too, that what you
ask would not be good for you, that it is safer
and better to leave yourself in My hands, and
like a well-behaved child take what is given you
without wanting something else.” We notice
that in the prayer our Lord has put into our
mouth He bids us ask for all that is necessary
for soul and body, not for dainties: “Give us
this day our daily bread,” not “bread and butter.”
Through the grace of adoption and the merits
of our Elder Brother, we are “ followers of God
as most dear children ” (Eph. v.). But it will help
us, when we feel inclined to grumble, to remember
what we are of ourselves, what our sins deserve.
“We indeed justly receive the due reward of our
deeds,” said the good thief. Which of us cannot
say as much when troubles come, or the monotony
of the daily tramp makes us sigh for the sense of
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His Presence whose companionship brightens the
darkest and the dullest road ? “ When Jesus is
present all goes well and nothing seems difficult,
but when Jesus is absent everything is hard”
(Imit. ii. 8).
What can we do but brace ourselves to patience.
It will not be always thus, and whether there be
more of punishment or of simple trial in the
present state of things, it will not last— our time
of probation is coming to an end, and that soon :
“ For yet a little and a very little while, and He
that is to come, will come, and will not delay ”
(Heb. x. 37).
Meanwhile, let us look our difficulty fairly in
the face.
I am never tired of bemoaning the difficulties
of prayer. I contrast conversation with God with
the face to face intercourse, the response of eye
and lip and ear that makes converse with a friend
so precious and so helpful.
But do I look at the other side, am I fair to
prayer? The most sympathetic of friends cannot
penetrate far into my soul, cannot change the
circumstances of life that are troubling it, or its
attitude towards those circumstances. But the
Friend to whom I speak in prayer sounds my soul
to its depths. His eye follows its windings into
recesses which I do not even suspect. Hs see?
M
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the effect of every subtle influence upon it. He
analyses every trouble. He can remove the cause,
or soften its effect upon me, or brace me to bear
and profit by it. He can work a change in my
inmost being, in my views of life, in my estimate
of success and failure, of position, influence, family
or spiritual trials. He can supplement the
deficiencies of my character. He can satisfy
every aspiration of my mind, every need of my
heart. When I lay my pain before Him with:
li Lord, Thou knowest,” I bring to bear upon that
pain all the Omniscience and Omnipotence of
God, all, and infinitely more than all, the fellow-
feeling of the most devoted of human friends.
Is not this a set-off against the unsatisfactoriness
of prayer of which I complain ?
Lord, could I bring myself to think more of the
inestimable boon Thou hast given me in prayer,
than of what by the nature of things I cannot
have as yet, how different my prayer would be !
My heart would be always lifting itself to Thee
in thankfulness and trust. I should accept
humbly the obscurities and limitations of this
time of faith. But faith would grow to be so
bright, and trust would win from Thee such
abundant reward even here, that the veil would
be half lifted. Prayer would come to be my
resource and my delight. Thy injunction, “ Pray
always,” would seem to be the most natural thing
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• THE WELCOME OF TRUST 179
in the world. Like Thy first followers, my con-
versation would be in heaven.
Thou, the Lord of heaven, art coming to hold
converse with me to-day. Thou comest in the
very flesh that lay in the manger and on the
cross, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, Thy
Sacred Humanity entire. But without its acci-
dents or appearances. I have to content myself
with the substance. I have to stay my soul on
the realities revealed to faith, till the day break
and the shadows retire.
So, too, with myself. I come to Thee with the
necessary dispositions, my soul in friendship with
Thee. Yet without the accessories of sensible
fervour which I desire, it may be, more for my
own sake than for Thine. But what of this?
Feelings are but accidents. I must have patience
till the veils drop and I see the King in His
beauty. Then shall I be glad with exceeding joy.
Then shall my soul magnify the Lord indeed, and
my spirit rejoice in God my Saviour. Then all
that is within me shall praise His holy Name.
I shall be satisfied when Thy glory shall appear.
But there is no harm in pleading for a little
lifting of the veil from time to tim^ for a few
crumbs from Thy table, 0 tender and compassionate
Lord. I could not disappoint the dumb creatures
that come to me trustfully for food or a caress —
the dog that looks up into my face, the bird that
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alights on my hand. Thou hast told me that I
am of much more value than these. Wilt Thou,
then, disappoint me when I come to Thee for the
food my soul needs, for the grace I must have if
I am to reach heaven ? Wilt Thou not now and
then give me the caress for which I look, Thou
who hast said : “ Upon the knees you shall be
caressed. As one whom the mother caresseth, so
will I comfort you ” (Isa. lxvi.) ? Wilt Thou not
speak at times that secret word in my soul which
thrills it through and through ? “ My soul
melted when my Beloved spake,” says the bride
in the Canticles. Speak to me, my Beloved, and
melt the hardness of my heart.
“Hear my prayer, 0 Lord, and my supplica-
tion : give ear to my tears 99 (Ps. xxxviii.).
“Who giveth food to the young ravens that
call upon Thee 99 (Ps. cxlvi.).
“ Thou, Lord, art rich enough to give me much
more than this 99 (2 Par. xxv.).
“ Can the rush be green without moisture ? 99
(Job viii.).
“ Remember me, 0 my God, unto good. Amen *
(2 Esdras xiii).
“And He gave them their request, and sent
fulness into their souls 99 (Ps. cv.).
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after Communion*
u My Lord and my God.”
“ Lord, I believe ; help Thou my unbelief.”
“ Lord, increase my faith.”
“0 Lord, there is none like Thee; let Thy
name be magnified for ever” (i Par. xvii.).
“ The Lord is my Helper and my Protector : in
Him hath my soul confided, and I have been
helped ” (Ps. xxvii.).
“ Sing to the Lord, 0 ye His Saints” (Ps. xxix.).
“ O love the Lord, all ye His Saints ” (Ps. xxx.).
“For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and
hath filled the hungry soul with good things”
(Ps. cvi.).
“ Blessed be the Lord, for He hath shown His
wonderful mercy to me ” (Ps. xxx.).
“ Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift ”
(2 Cor. ix.).
“ One is good , God ” (Matt. xix.).
How near I am now, nay, how closely united I
am now, to the Source of all good. I cross my
hands upon my breast and know that, folded
there, is all good. For “ One is good, God.”
And He is here to share with me, like a true
lover, all that He has and is. Within my breast
is: —
All His Omnipotence to protect me — “Thou
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shalt know that the Lord thy God is a strong and
faithful God ” (Deut. vii.).
All His Wisdom to guide me — “Abide thou
with Me, tear not” (i Kings xxii.).
All His loving-kindness to help me — “I will
not leave thee nor forsake thee” (Jos. i.).
All His charity to warm me — “ Our God is a
consuming fire ” (Heb. xii.).
All His zeal to enkindle mine, for “The
charity of Christ presseth us 99 (2 Cor. v.).
All His treasures to enrich me, for “ He that
spared not even His own Son . . . how hath
He not also with Him given us all things ! n
(Rom. viii.).
All His merits to plead for me — “ Ever living
to make intercession for us ” (Heb. vii.).
Out of Thee, my God, there is no good. And
within Thee there is no good that is not Thyself.
All that Thou hast Thou art. Therefore in asking
Thee for all I need for my soul’s health, I ask
for Thyself. Thou art Thyself the light, the
strength, the love, the patience, the holiness,
that are wanting to me. How near to me is
all this in the supremely precious moments
after Communion ! Not at my door, not within
my reach, but absolutely within my breast. Open,
then, Thy hand to me, 0 Lord, and fill Thy needy
creature with benediction by filling it with Thyself.
O Infinite Beauty that art my God, I praise Thee.
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THE WELCOME OP TRUST 183
O Infinite Charity that art my God, I love
Thee.
O Infinite Patience that art my God, I thank
Thee.
O Infinite Goodness that art my God, I worship
Thee, and bless Thee, and cling to Thee now and
for ever.
Dear Master, I am like Magdalen at Thy feet.
Would that I could be like her in her warm
welcome, in her loving content, in her attentive
listening as Thou didst speak to her heart, in the
concentration of all the powers of her soul upon
Thee as long as Thou remainedst her**Guest, in
her sympathy with Thy sorrows, in the consola-
tion she brought to Thy Heart. Can I with my
wandering thoughts and my coldness be to Thee
in any measure like Magdalen? Yes, for Thou
hast told us Thou wilt accept desires as acts.
When at the Last Supper Thou didst pray for
Thy Apostles, and not for them only, but for
those who through their word should believe in
Thee, Thou knewest that these later disciples
would have difficulties unknown to those whom
the charm of Thy divine Person drew to Thee
during Thy life on earth. We have not met
Thy glance nor heard the tones of Thy voice, nor
listened to the words of Him who spake as never
man spake. We have the record of the impression
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made on the crowds and on those who loved Thee^
but we have yet to come under that spell our-
selves. Meanwhile, Thou hast compassion on us,
knowing that faith which does so much cannot do
alL Often, too, faith itself is withdrawn into the
innermost recesses of the soul. It is like the sap
of the plant in winter, no fruit, nor flower, nor
bud betrays its presence. But it is there. Thine
eye can see it, and Thou hast patience.
What advice hast Thou for us till the sun
comes forth in his strength and vivifies the
plant and draws out its hidden energies, till
winter is over and gone, and the flowers appear
in our land ? Thou wouldst have us betake our-
selves to our brethren who are better off than we
are; whose vehement desires go forth to meet
Thee ; whose hearts glow in Thy presence ; whose
whole being even to the restless senses is subdued
and captivated by Thy sacramental touch ; whose
entertainment of their Divine Guest, while it
remains infinitely unworthy of Him, is so true
a welcome that He makes it His delight to be
with them. By the Communion of Saints they
are our brethren ; their riches are the property
of all, and the poorest members of the family can
help themselves at will. Thou dost not ask if
the gifts we offer Thee are our own or borrowed.
But Thou dost accept them graciously, make
much of them, account them of great worth. I
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THE WELCOME OE TRUST 185
offer to Thee, then, dear Lord, the unspotted
purity of Thy virgins and of all innocent souls :
the fortitude of Thy martyrs who are upholding
Thy cause in the midst of tortures and death;
the patience of Thy confessors and of all who
are serving Thee amid persecution and pain, or
in the monotonous round of daily duties and
trials. I offer Thee that immaculate heart in
which Thou findest every virtue in its perfection.
I offer Thee Thy own Sacred Human Heart,
whose worship and praise is worthy of the divine
acceptance. Thanks be to Thee for this rich
treasury to which I may come for the supply
of all my need. Thanks, above all, for the
Divine Heart which alone suffices for me
Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift!
Petition , p. 108.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12*
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III
“ Cast thy care upon the Lord , and He shall
sustain thee ” — Pa liv.
Before Communion*
“ For he stands at too great a hazard that does
not cast his whole care on Thee (Imit. iii. 17).
How different from ours is this way of putting
things I We should have said the hazard was
in casting our whole care on God. Of course
we trust Him perfectly, but there is such a thing
as prudence, and one cannot help being uneasy
when trouble threatens, or difficulties arise, or
things go wrong. A certain amount of care,
quite enough to justify solicitude, disquietude
even, is unavoidable. Thus do we petulantly
turn our back upon the invitation and the
promise of God, as if it meant nothing and was
never intended to have any practical bearing
on our conduct.
18*
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THE WELCOME OF TRUST 187
Yet how strong are our Lord’s words : 44 There-
fore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life,
what you shall eat, nor for your body what you
shall put on. . . . Behold the birds of the air,
for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather
into bams : and your Heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are not you of much more value than
they ? And for raiment why are you solicitous ?
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow:
they labour not, neither do they spin. . . . And
if the grass of the field God doth so clothe, how
much more you, O ye of little faith? Be not
solicitous therefore, saying, What shall we eat,
or wherewith shall we be clothed? For your
Father knoweth that you have need of all these
things. Be not therefore solicitous for to-morrow.
Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His justice,
and all these things shall be added unto you”
(Matt. vi.).
How He insists! Not even about the most
fundamental needs, for the bare necessaries of
life are we to be solicitous. He prefaces His
injunction by the solemn words : 44 I say to you.”
I who cannot deceive, nor bid you trust too much,
I bid you be not solicitous. Why? Because
44 your Father knoweth your need.”
There are those who take Him at His word.
They omit nothing that depends on them. They
do what is not required of the lilies and the
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birds ; they toil and they spin. Like the “ wise
steward whom his lord set over his family to
give them wheat in due season ” ; like the valiant
woman “who looked well to the ways of her
house”; they do all that in them lies. And
then, obedient to the Divine injunction, and
relying on the Divine promise, they cast all
their care upon God. “ The Lord ruleth me
and I shall want nothing” (Ps. xxii.). “My
God is my Helper ; in Him will I put my trust ”
(Ps. xvii.). Who shall tell the peace of such
souls, the wonderful interventions in their favour,
the vigilance with which He whom their trust
glorifies provides for their every need !
A rower propels his boat by a twofold impulse,
a movement forward and back. So do we advance
towards God. We tend to Him by desire and
affection, and fall back upon Him by self-abandon*-
ment and trust. And it is in the latter act that
our progress chiefly lies.
My God, give me such trust in Thee that I
may be able to take literally Thy words : “Be
not solicitous.” Let not the cares of this life so
weigh upon me as to trouble my peace. Give me
the filial trust that Thy blessed Apostle Paul laid
as a duty on Thy first disciples : “ Be nothing
solicitous, but in everything by prayer and suppli-
cation let your petitions be made known to God.
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THE WELCOME OF TRUST 189
And the peace of God which surpasseth all under-
standing keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus” (Philip, iv.).
Give me the peaceful heart of Thy dear Foster-
Father amid the ups and downs of life, the
obscurity shrouding Divine designs, the peril
threatening the treasures confided to him. To
him the Will of God was all in all. It was
impulse; it was rest. It was the reason and
the justification of all things. It was compensa-
tion in suffering, and goal beyond which he had
no desire. Nothing came amiss to him; every
trial, however sudden, or grievous, or prolonged,
found him ready, as if it had been a plan of his
own devising, long foreseen and thought out in
every detail, as if it fell in exactly with his
wishes. And so indeed it did, inasmuch as it
was the ordering or the permission of God's
Providence, a fresh revelation of the Divine
plan. O Prince of Peace, who hast brought to
earth a peace that no trial can disturb, come to
my troubled heart, say to it : “ Peace, be still ! ”
“ In Thee, Lord, I put my trust” (Ps. x.).
“ It is good for me to adhere to my God, to
put my trust in the Lord God ” (Ps. lxxii.).
“ The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing ”
(Ps. xxii.).
“ For though I should walk in the midst of the
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shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for Thou
art with me ” (Ps. xxii.).
44 I have cried to the Lord, and the Lord will
save me ” (Ps. liv.).
44 In Thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped, let me never
be confounded ” (Ps. xxx.).
after Ccmmunton.
44 Bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord *
(Ps. cxxxiii.).
44 Exalt ye the Lord our God ” (Ps. xcviii.).
44 Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels ” (Pa cii.).
44 Give glory to the Lord, for He is good"
(Ps. cvi.).
“Adore the Lord our God, and give thanks to
Him ” (Tobias xi.).
44 Adore the Lord my God ” (Dan. xiv.).
44 Bless the Lord, for He hath shown His
wonderful mercy to me ” (Ps. xxx.).
44 For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and
hath filled the hungry soul with good things ”
(Pa cvi.).
44 My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour ” (Luke i.).
44 Because He that is mighty hath done great
things to me, and holy is His Name ” (Id.),
My God, who hast given Thyself to me with all
that Thou hast and art, with reason dost Thou
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THE WELCOME OF TRUST 191
expect me to trust Thee. Thou art my Father,
and I am never to question Thy love and care.
All my life is planned by Thee, Infinite Wisdom
and Infinite Love guiding the arrangement of its
every detail. The ordering of Thy Providence
has my welfare in view as completely as if I
alone were to be considered. I am not sacrificed
to others as is so often the case in the affairs of
this life when the designer is one of ourselves.
The paths of Thy children cross and recross at an
infinite number of points ; circumstances appear
to be the most absolute result of chance. But
every contact, every event even the most trivial,
even the result of the free-will and the ill-will of
man, is ordered or permitted by Thee. Reaching
from end to end mightily is Thy loving foresight,
ordering all things sweetly for the child of Thj
Heart — all things, all things without exception,
those even that seem most opposed to my good.
Let not such things take me by surprise or dis-
concert me. Say to me as to Peter : “ Go with
them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them *
(Acts x.). Let me put my hand trustfully into
Thine and keep it there all through the changing
years, believing by faith what I shall see some
day: “He hath done all things well.” With
what admiration and delight shall I behold
in eternity the Divine skill which has shaped to
Thy designs all the varied elements of life — —
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talents, deficiencies, pleasure, pain, temptation,
failure, falls — all things working together to my
final good. “He hath done all things well,” I
shall cry out in exulting praise, “ He hath done
all things well.”
Could there be any cloud in that happy retro-
spect, any note of sadness in that praise, it would
be where my trust failed during life, where the
things that seem obscured the bright realities
that faith should have kept visible through every
trial.
O my Father, my Heavenly Father, give me
this birthright of Thy children, this abounding
hope, this grace of trust. Care for me as for
a child that lies without thought for itself in
its father's arms. Care for me till I come to
see Thee, 0 God of my life, to know Thee as
Thou art, to love Thee with every affection of my
heart, to spend my eternity before Thy face in
jubilant praise.
“ O Lord, Father, and God of my life ” (Ecclus.
xxiii.), everywhere and in all things Thou art
“God blessed for ever” (Rom. ix.). Yet Thou
hast a special nearness to me and dearness as
the God of my life, whose character is disclosed
to me, not by any revelation from without, but
by the intimate experience of daily life — daily
trials, daily joys and sorrow, and unexpected
intervention, and sweet surprise, and tender con-
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THE WELCOME OF TRUST 193
eolation. O Lord, Fathei, and God of my life,
let me give Thee that worship which is so accept-
able to Thee, the worship to which the experience
of long years entitles Thee — the trust of a child.
Oblation and Petition , p. 10.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. X3,
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I
“ He came unto His oxon , and His oxen received
Him not ” — J ohn i.
38rtare Comtmmton.
Thus the disciple whom Jesus loved begins his
Gospel. He faho knew the Sacred Heart better
thaij the others, who had leaned on his Master’s
breast and learned His secrets — it is he who tells
us of the chief suffering of that loving Heart in
the days when pain could reach it.
Who came? He who had been so long promised.
He who was so sorely needed. He who was God,
able to supply every need. He who was most
eager to free us from our enemies, to save us, to
make us happy — He came.
To whom ? “ To His own.” To the people He
had singled out from all others to be His in a
special way. On whom He had heaped His
«07
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198
favours. Whom He had guided, protected, fed,
taught, worked wonders for, loved, warned,
promised Himself to. To the chosen people who
had sighed for Him, and boasted of Him as one
of their race. To these, His own, He cama
How did He come ? Not with the pomp and
unapproachableness of a king of this world, not
imposing heavy burdens. But lowly and meek.
As the Good Shepherd, carrying the lambs in His
bosom, feeding His flock in rich pastures, seeking
that which was lost, binding up that which was
broken, strengthening that which was weak ; as
a Physician, as a Friend, as a Fellow-Traveller,
as a Brother — thus He came to His own. He
came to share their nature that they might be
partakers of His. He came to give them all they
were able to receive— peace in this life, happiness
even in the midst of sorrow, Himself beneath.the
veils. And in the next life a happiness perfect
and eternal, flowing from the face to face vision
that fulfils every desire. Thus He came to His
own.
With what result? “His own received Him
not.”
Why? Because they wanted impossibilities.
They would be healed without submission to the
Physician. They would enjoy the favours of God
as His children without leaving the sins that
made them His enemies. They looked for a
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Messiah who, by heaping upon them the riches,
pleasures, and honours of this world, would chain
their hearts to the things of time and make them
lose those of eternity. He loved them too much
to give them what they sought. And thus, when
He came unto His own. His own received Him
not
What He sought was a welcome. What we
gave Him was a cross. What we give Him still
in return for the unspeakable Gift of His abiding
Presence with us, is indifference and neglect.
He wanders up and down the world, outcast from
many a heart
“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”
Lord, read always over my door “ Welcome ! ”
Weary and footsore, come in and rest with me.
My house is poor and unfurnished, but at Thy
service always. I will give Thee water for Thy
feet, the tears of true contrition ; spikenard for
Thy head, the fragrance at least of humility and
good desires. Above all, I will give Thee the
kiss of welcome. Come to me and use all that
belongs to me as it shall please Thee. I make
Thee welcome to anything of mine that it may
please Thee to take, to any loss, or sacrifice, or
failure ; for any humiliation, or pain of body or
mind, from now to the hour of my death.
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"So long a time have I been with you , and have you
not known Me ? ” (John xiv.).
This, as the worlds history rolls on, is His
reproach to its children of each generation. Hot
to the untaught millions of heathendom whom
the glad tidings of the Incarnation and of the
Heal Presence have never reached, who live and
die without having heard of their Saviour, or
having once found their way to His feet. Nor
to the thousands around His tabernacles whose
eyes the prejudices of birth and education have
held. But to those whom He has called out of
darkness, who see what kings and prophets
desired to see, for whom are His teaching and
His Sacraments, His continual inspirations and
invitations, His morning Sacrifice, His evening
Benediction, whose doors lie within a stone’s
throw of His own. It is to these He says year
after year : “So long have I been with you, and
have you not known Me?” It is to me, His
friend and His familiar, that His reproach is
made.
"So long have I been with you” How long is
it since He has been within my reach for daily
Mass, for frequent Communion?
" And you have not known Me,” This can be
the only explanation of my neglect of Him. If
I knew Him better, knew the tenderness of His
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love for me, His eagerness to be with me, His
devotedness, I could not keep away from Him as
I do. If I knew His interest in all that concerns
me, I should find my way to Him oftener with my
troubles and my cares.
Welcome, Divine Guest, welcome to-day!
Awaken within my heart some better response
to Thine. It is not meet that all the ardour
should be on the side of Him who comes, that
>the host should be so little in accord with the
Guest. Come, and bring my heart into harmony
with Thine.
When we desire very eagerly the visit of a
friend, we are not content with one invitation.
We send telegram after telegram. We show we
can take no refusal. We even seem inconsiderate,
and risk wearying by importunity. We leave
our friend no choice. He has to satisfy us at
last. u He would not for a long time. But
afterwards he said within himself : Because she
is troublesome to me I will . . . lest continually
coming she weary me” (Luke xviii.). Lord, I
desire Thy Blessed Presence with me to-day. I
am not worthy of it, but I beg, I importune, I
multiply invitations : —
“Come into my garden” (Cant. v.).
“ Come, my Beloved ” (Cant. vii.).
“ Come, let us see one another ” (2 Par. xxv.).
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welcome t
‘‘Come home with me, and I will make Thee
presents ” (3 Kings xiiL).
“Come, Lord Jesus ” (Apoc. xxii.).
after ©(mtnwnfon.
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
“ For He that is mighty hath done great things
for me, and holy is His Name.”
“ 0 ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord :
praise and exalt Him above all for ever ”
(Dan. iii.).
“ Come, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us
joyfully sing to God our Saviour” (Ps. xciv.).
“Give glory to the Lord for He is good, for
His mercy endureth for ever. Who shall declare
the power of the Lord ! Who shall set forth all
His praises ! ” (Ps. cv.).
“Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to
Him, and His wonderful wcrks to the children of
men ” (Ps. cvi.).
“ Let all Thy works, 0 Lord, praise Thee, and
let Thy Saints bless Thee” (Ps. cxliv.).
“ I will praise Thee, 0 Lord, with my whole
heart” (Ps. cxxxvii.).
“ I will extol Thee, 0 God my King, and I will
bless Thy Name for ever, yea for ever and ever *
(Ps. cxliv.).
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Whence is this to me that my Lord should
come to me ?
We should not dare to invite a king into a
miserable hovel. And were he to invite himself,
we should be on thorns the whole time of his stay.
Is it want of faith, dear Lord, that makes the
case so different when there is question of a visit
from Thee ? Now and then when the dignity of
my Guest is borne home to me more than usual,
there is a thrill of wondering awe or of glad
surprise. But my normal feeling is little more
than the appreciation of the kindness of a friend
who looks in upon me from next door. I take it
as a matter of course. I bid Him welcome
certainly, but even this bit of courtesy He is
expected to take for granted. If He comes on
business we draw our chairs together and set to
work to discuss it without loss of time. Is it
want of faith, 0 best of friends, that makes me
treat Thee with so little ceremony? No doubt
the fault is mine in part. But — may I say it with
all reverence — is it not also Thine, the natural
consequence of Thy accessibility, of the trust with
which Thou dost make Thyself over to us ? So
far from showing any repugnance to visit me in
my poverty, Thy courtesy is too delicate to let it
appear a condescension. “ Behold, I stand at the
gate and knock. If any man shall hear My
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WELCOME!
voice and open to Me the door, I will come in to
him and will sup with him, and he with Me. My
delights are to be with the children of men.
Open to Me, My sister, My beloved.” What
wonder that the unfeigned desire testified by
these words should make me lose sight of the
infinite distance between us. Whose fault is it,
then, dear Lord ? If blame is due, must we not
share it?
But from another point of view the failing is
wholly mine. If Thy gracious ways dull the sense
of obligation, they should surely inflame love.
And this is Thy design in making Thyself so easy
of approach. The human longing to be with Thy
friend makes Thee ready at all hours to come to
me. But where is my response? Where is the
desire of my heart to be with Thee? Thy love
cannot be satisfied without my co-operation.
From Heaven to the altar-rails is Thy part of the
journey. From my bed to the church is mine.
How often do I find the way too long, the sacrifice
too great! How often do I fail at the rendez-
vous, and by an indifference, amounting almost
to insult, deprive Thee of the meeting on which
Thy Heart is set ! Is there, then, nothing in me
that responds to Thy advances? This at least
there is — shame a*nd sorrow for my callousness,
and a desire to make up to Thee for the past.
I have within my breast the Heart that loved
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me uninterruptedly throughout the three-and-
thirty years. As the Babe lay on the manger
straw; as the Boy lay awake at night in the
cottage at Nazareth ; as the Man worked hard all
day in the village shop ; as He preached and
cured ; as He walked up and down the land, His
Heart was beating always with love of me*
Slower and slower, as the three hours dragged on,
it beat upon the cross, faltering, failing — until it
stopped. For part of three days it ceased to beat
for me. With the breaking of the dawn on
Easter Day, when it woke to an immortal life, it
began to beat anew for me. And for nineteen
hundred years since then it has never ceased to
beat for me, till this morning brings it with its
faithful love into my breast.
For what does my heart beat? What is its
main concern in life, its absorbing interest?
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole
heart. Thus has the Lord my God loved me.
Is it too much to give Him my whole heart in
exchange for His ?
0 Lord, help me, make haste to help me. Had
I the power over my heart that Thou hast, I
would pour into it an affection answering in some
measure to Thine own. I would break down
every obstacle* to the free flowing of mutual love.
I would not suffer devotedness and generosity to
be on one side alone. When wilt Thou do for
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WELCOME!
me, O Lord, what I cannot do for myself ; when
wilt Thou add to Thy gifts the grace to love Thee
as I desire?
“ Judea disowned Thee for her King, that I
might have Thee all my own,” said the loving St,
Gertrude. “ My King and my God ” (Ps. v.), I
choose and proclaim Thee now within my heart.
As if Thou wert not King by right ; as if I were
free to elect Thee or not ; as if I had not chosen
Thee again and again, I choose Thee now. Reign
over all that I am and have— over my memory
and my imagination, over my understanding and
my will, over all my senses. Reign over my
thoughts, and desires, and actions. Control and
direct every movement of soul and body, every
word of my lips, every labour of my hands, every
step of my feet, that all may tend to Thy glory
and be conformed to Thy will.
Reign over all that is dear to me and depen-
dent on me, over my family and every member
thereof. I consecrate each one to Thee, and as
far as in me lies subject all to Thy sway. Look
upon it, O Lord, as a special and cherished
province of Thy Kingdom. Make it loyal to
Thee, obedient to Thy laws, eager to carry out
Thy good pleasure and to promote Thy glory.
Oblation and Petition , pp. 169, 1 71-
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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4i Come ”
before Cemmtmfotu
A brilliant sunrise attracts our ©yes to the East
and makes us think of the effulgence that will be
there one day. What will be the splendour of
those heavens which are to gather together and
immeasurably to surpass in one last blaze of glory
all the magnificence of sunrise and sunset that
earth has seen : which are to be lit up by the
forms of myriads upon myriads of glorified beings,
Angels and men ; by the presence of the Son of
Man coming in great power and majesty !
How often at sunrise and sunset now do we
picture to ourselves that scene. It is the sum-
ming up of the world's history, the revelation and
justification of every dealing of God with man-
kind and with each single soul, the manifestation
007
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WELCOME!
before the whole human race of every thought*
word, and deed, since Adam first drew breath in
Paradise.
And yet that scene [will be a very simple ona
All its magnificence, all that array of heaven and
earth will find its purport in two words : “ Depart ”
and “ Come.” To hear those words will heaven
be emptied and all mankind assembled in the
valley of Jehoshaphat. We tremble as we reflect
that the words are only two. There is no via
media between the path of glory upward and the
road down to the abyss. “ He that is not with
Me is against Me,” will be plain upon that day.
We think of ourselves, and we tremble. Oh for
some assurance that all will be well with us then,
that the word spoken in the hearing of earth and
heaven to our individual soul will be the invita-
tion: “ Come!” Is such guarantee vouchsafed
to us, and if so, where is it to be found ?
“ Behold I set forth in your sight a blessing
and a curse” (Deut. xi.). “I have set before
thee life and good, and on the other hand death
and evil” (Deut. xxx.). “As thou shalt choose,
and whither it shall please thee to go, thither go ”
(Jer. xl.).
“ I have chosen the way of truth ” (Ps. cxviii.).
u Destruction is thy own, 0 Israel ” (Osee xiii.).
“We have in ourselves the answer of death”
(a Cor. i.). And of life also.
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Those words: “Depart” and “Come,” which
will be the sentence of death or of life to every
one of us, are the result of our deliberate choice
during our time of probation. There are those
whose abiding disposition is a desire to rid them-
selves of the presence and of the recollection of
God. “ Who have said to God : Depart from us,
we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways ”
(Job xxi.). “And behold, the whole city went
out to meet Jesus, and when they saw Him they
besought Him that He would depart from their
coasts ” (Matt. viii.).
And there are those whose lives are spent in
the quest of Him, “ seeking God and desirous to
find Him ” (Wisd. xiii.). “ Have you seen Him
whom my soul loveth 1 ” (Cant. iii.). “ My soul
hath desired Thee in the night, and in the
morning early I will watch to Thee ” (Isa. xxvi.).
“Show me Thy face, and let Thy voice sound
in my ears” (Cant ii.). “Come, my Beloved”
(Cant, vii), “Come, Lord Jesus” (Apoc. xxii.).
Let me, O Lord, be one of these longing ones.
Let my soul pant for Thee as the hart for the
waterbrooks, and dread above all evils separation
from Thee. Like the sisters of Bethany let me
count it the greatest of blessings to have Thee
often under my roof. Like Zaccheus let me
receive Thee with joy. And may the echo of my
o
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WELCOME !
many welcomes during life be that word of Thine
to me from the eastern heavens : “ Come.”
Come, Let this word of invitation to Thee,
dearest Lord, be often on my lips and always in
my heart.
Come in Thy visitations of mercy and even of
justice; for it is Thyself always; Thy disguise
but thinly veils Thee, and Faith is ever ready to
leap forth to meet Thee, crying : “ It is the
Lord 1 ”
Come in the secret promptings of Thy grace,
in the warnings, the rebukes, the compensations,
the caresses, and all the myriad forms love is
wont to take.
Come in the lessons of detachment that
sooner or later the heart must learn, in the
disillusioning, the separations, the loneliness
that come with years. Take for Thyself each
vacant place, till at last the whole is Thine and
Thou art all in all.
Come in Thy Sacramental Presence to claim
Thy rights, to give of Thy fulness, to answer
prayer, to calm my fears, to purify and draw to
Thyself all the affections of my soul.
Come, daily Bread, to sustain me in the journey
of each day, as the manna of old strengthened
the travellers in the desert for the labour and
the monotony of the daily march.
Q<me in seasons Qf darkness and distress, when
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THE WELCOME OF A HOST 211
the soul, loosed from her moorings, troubled and
storm-swept, is driven for awhile before the
blast.
Come when she feels for Thee in the darkness,
and cries for Thee as a babe for its mother’s
face.
Come y above all, in the dreariness and the
dangers of death. When all things fall away,
stay with me, 0 Lord. When none other can
help or comfort, fold me in the everlasting arms,
hide me in Thy Heart. May my last word be
that of John the beloved : “ Come, Lord Jesus.”
And may Thy answer be : “ Behold, I come
quickly.” Let my first sight on the eternal
shore be " Jesus Christ, mild and festive in
aspect,” coming to meet me ; and the first sound,
Thy word, the echo of my own during life:
“ Come, blessed of My Father — Come ! ”
after Cfltntmmfon.
“ Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift ”
(2 Cor. ix.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
u Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Ps. cii.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever.”
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants,
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WELCOME 1
and you that fear Him, little and great 99 (Apoa
arix.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever.”
“0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us
extol His Name together ” (Ps. xxxiii.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever
“ This is your hour 99 (Luke xxii.).
Christ. To My enemies who drew near to
lead Me to torments and to death, I said as I
delivered Myself into their hands : This is your
hour. To you, My friend, who invite Me to
your heart, I say also, say lovingly : This is your
hour.
All the hours of your life are yours, to work in,
to traffic with, to use for My glory, for the salva-
tion and perfection of your own soul and the souls
of others. All are yours. Yet of the time spent
with Me, in My close company after Communion,
I say to you as of no other : This is your hour. ■
It passes quickly ; take heed that it passes not
without fruit, that its graces are not forfeited,
that its privileges are not neglected, that its
opportunities are not lost.
This is your hour — the hour when you may pay
to Me all your debts of adoration, thanksgiving,
propitiation, and pay them to the full.
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Your hour when you may obtain from Me
easily the pardon of all your sins.
Your hour when you may help yourself at will
from the treasury of My Heart ; when you may
supply abundantly all the needs of your soul.
When its defilement may be cleansed, its dryness
refreshed, its wounds healed, its resistance con-
quered, its coldness warmed, its waywardness
controlled. I am your Guest. I have to com-
pensate you for My entertainment. Ask what
you will, this is your hour.
Your hour to bring to My feet all whom you
love; all depending on you; all for whom you
are anxious, with their miseries, and needs, and
troubles. That they are yours will give them an
additional claim on My Heart. Fear not to ask
great things ; to call on Me for extreme forbear-
ance, for special interventions of mercy. The
sense of your unworthiness, the consciousness of
past sin may oppress you, the knowledge that I
am Judge as well as Guest may tie your tongue.
Fear not, My host, My kind entertainer — this is
your hour. Do with Me what you will. Lead
Me up and down among the rows of your sick.
Bring to Me the blind, the halt, the leprous, the
fever-stricken, and I will heal them. It is your
hour, to obtain for them all that your heart
desires. Speak to Me for them now and I will
listen; ask for them now and I will grant.
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Delight in your Lord whilst He is with you,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
For every one that asketh now receiveth. Ask ;
seek ; knock — for this is your hour.
Oblation and Petition, p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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THE WELCOME OF A HOST
m
The Eighth day after the Resurrection .
Before Comtmmfotu
See St, Thomas sitting apart from the rest in the
Supper Boom, cut off from them in all but bodily
presence, sharing neither their joy, their en-
thusiasm, their brotherly intercourse, nor the
strength that union by charity gives. Account-
ing himself strong-minded, he is obstinate, sullen,
testy, gloomy, weak. He is drifting away from
the Master for whom he has left all things, who
has been to him all in all. What makes the
difference between him and the others? The
Presence of Christ. They are risen with Christ.
Their joy, their hope, their very life that was
buried with Him has revived with the Resurrec-
tion. To them their Master is not a glorious
memory of the past, all the more bitter because
of the expectation that had been raised. He is
8X«
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WELCOME!
living, loving, and may be looked for in His
glorious beauty at any moment.
He comes! He stands among them in the
Supper Room, in His old place, the place always
left for Him now. See how every eye turns
instinctively to Thomas. For the eyes of his
Master are turned to him. It is for him He
has come to-night Mark the instantaneous
change wrought by that Presence, by that look.
See Thomas as he hastens forward, his steps
trembling with eagerness, his face aglow with
love and with shame. See him as he falls at
the pierced feet. Note the intensity of feeling
in the clasped hands, the upturned face, the cry
of joy : “ My Lord and my God ! ”
O dearest Lord J esus, I thank Thee with all my
heart for having come to the rescue of that poor
suffering Apostle, for having kept for Thyself
and for Thy service that slow, yet loyal and
generous soul. I adore Thee with his delight,
his contrition, his whole-hearted oblation of him-
self into Thy hands. With him I welcome Thee
to-day, and confess Thee, hidden beneath the
sacramental veils, my Lord and my God.
My Lord — Man as one of us, Saviour, Head of
our race, King of kings and Lord of lords, to
whom is due my service, all that is mine, myself ;
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THE WELCOME OF A HOST 217
to whom I give myself with the most absolute
self-surrender, desiring only that Thou wouldst
claim me, receive me, dispose of me as Thine in
time and in eternity :
And my God — very God of very God, consub-
stantial with the Father: by whom all things
were made. Who for us men and for our salva-
tion came down from heaven, and was made man :
My God — with whom I have relations intimate
and tender beyond my power to conceive. My
First Beginning, my Last End, whom I must
reach and secure as my own possession in
eternity, or be for ever miserable :
My Lord and my God — uniting in Thyself
every claim to my loyalty, my worship, my
tenderest love. Oh make Thyself more and
more to my soul ! I believe in Thee here truly
present, but increase my faith. I hope in Thee,
yet not as Thy goodness deserves. I love Thee,
but not as I desire. Let Thy Blessed Presence
in frequent Communion do gradually for me
what in an instant it did for Thomas. Let it
come to influence my every thought, and word,
and act. Wake up in my soul all that can
glorify Thee, that with all Thou hast given me
I may make Thee a return of love, and content
myself in contenting Thee, my Lord and my
God!
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after Cflmmtmfotu
u My Lord and my God ! ”
“ Lord, I believe ; help Thou my unbelief.”
“ Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“O Lord my God, I will give praise to Thee
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xxix.).
“ Whence is this to me that my Lord should
come to me ? ”
“Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst
come under my roof.”
“ O my soul, bless the Lord, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name ” (Ps. cii.).
“ Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Id.).
“ Bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts
of the house of our God ” (Ps. cxxxiii.).
“ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us
extol His Name together ” (Ps. xxxiii.).
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.).
“ Oh, how hast Thou magnified Thy mercy, O
God ” (Ps. xxxv.).
“Let them say so that have been redeemed by
the Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand
of the enemy ” (Ps. cvi.).
“ Thou art worthy, 0 Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power ” (Apoc. iv.).
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THE WELCOME OF A HOST 219
tc Amen. Benediction, and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii.).
My God, I adore thee. Adoration is as yet
little more to me than a name. When I see
Thee as Thou art I shall marvel at the condescen-
sion which makes Thee accept my adoration now.
And I shall marvel no less at the cold thanks-
givings of earth. Oh with what vehemence will
my soul pour herself forth when the restraints of
this life are no more ! Like a mighty flood long
pent up, that breaks at length through dam and
dyke and laps the city on every side, will be my
thanksgiving in Heaven. So will it leap up for
ever in Thy Presence, fresh and free, magnifying
the Lord, striving with all the energy of its being
to render Him something like a return for all He
has rendered unto me.
Wait, my God, wait a little while for that hour.
All hours are before Thee now. Already Thou
seest me in my place before Thy throne. Already
my glad praise goes up before Thee, and seeing
it, Thou hast compassion on my feeble efforts
now. Wait, wait a little while, and I will pay
Thee all.
Meanwhile let me fall back on the treasures
of others. Let me share in the adoration and
thanksgiving with which Thomas welcomed Thee
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on the octave day of the Resurrection. Thou
wert his Guest in the Supper Room. It was
for him that Thou didst come. The happiness
of that sweet evening the rest owed to him. As
Thy host he came forward in trembling joy to do
Thee reverence, to make reparation for that slow-
ness of belief which was Thy one reproach to the
Eleven, to acknowledge by his glorious confession
the union in Thy Sacred Person of the Divine and
Human Natures.
With him I cry to Thee here truly present :
“ My Lord and my God ! ” Happier than he, I
take from Thy lips the blessing of those who have
not seen and have believed.
Teach me, dear Lord, my duties as a hostess.
Let me learn them from Martha and from
Thomas. A host lays himself out to entertain
his guest. He forgets His own likes and dislikes
to consult the tastes of the friend whose comfort
and happiness depend on the thoughtful kindness
and genuine welcome accorded him.
Lord, Thou art with me now. I know not how
to entertain so great a Majesty, but at least let
me not transgress the laws of human courtesy.
Let me offer Thee the hospitality of eastern lands
and of olden times, the humble services, the
kindliness that welcomes the coming and speeds
the parting guest. I must not leave Thee alone
during the brief moments of Thy stay. I must
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set aside all other claims and cares and keep
myself free for attendance on Thee, for converse
with Thee. And this converse will be about
things that interest Thee, concerns that I know
Thou hast at heart. The names of those near
and dear to Thee will come in. I shall make my
own the burdens and the sufferings of Thy friends,
and offer myself for any service that affection for
them for Thy sake may prompt. I shall sorrow
with Thee, Lord, in Thy sorrows, enter into Thy
designs, be concerned when Thy glory is imperilled,
bring eager reparation for Thy wrongs. What-
ever touches the Church and souls redeemed with
Thy Precious Blood, whatever calls for prayer,
will be matter of earnest converse with Thee
during the brief moments of Thy stay.
Thy beloved Disciple tells us, Lord, that Thou
wouldst not trust Thyself to any man, for Thou
knewest what was in man. How is it then that
Thou dost trust Thyself to me? Is it because
I am to be depended on ; that I value so truly
the treasure I have in the Eucharist ; that I shall
turn it to such good account — is it so, O Lord?
Alas! it is because Thou knowest me so well,
that Thou shouldst refrain from trusting Thyself
to me. Thou needest no one to tell Thee what
Thou must expect if Thou wilt make Thyself my
Guest. And in spite of all, Thou hast come.
I cannot offer Thee much, 0 Lord, at Thy
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coming, but I can bid Thee welcome. I can
embrace Thee and hold Thee fast. I kiss Thy
feet, O my Master, I kiss Thy feet. With
nothing in my hand to offer Thee, with none
of the generosity and zeal in Thy service that
others bring, I have yet the humble welcome
which not all my shortcomings can check. This
will suffice me. As Thou crossest the threshold
at the end of Thy visit, I shall be content if Thou
canst say to Thy Angels : “ She hath not ceased
to kiss My feet.”
Oblation and Petition , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“ Ordering dll things sweetly — Wisd. viiL
36e£ore CEcmnumum.
How sweetly has the life of the Son of God on
earth been ordered with a view to our salvation
and our help! Had we been asked whether a
commonplace, uneventful life, or one of marvels
and miracles would best achieve the end for
which Messiah came, we should have been at a
loss how to reply. Manifestations of Divine
power would accredit His mission, but they
would make His life one for our admiration
rather than for our imitation. On the other
hand, a lowly position and an ordinary career
would want the prestige belonging to the
Redeemer and universal Teacher of mankind.
How could both needs be met? How should
He be at once the Wonder-worker to sustain
285 p
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WELCOME I
our faith and our hope, and our Companion in
the unherolc paths of daily life ?
We could never have guessed. We might
have imagined the stilling of the tempest, the
healing of every disease and every infirmity.
But we could no more have suspected the thirty
years of toil in the workshop of Nazareth,
than we could have reconciled the Trans-
figuration on Thabor with the scene beneath
the olive trees, or the three hours on Calvary.
Yet all has been harmonised for the confirmation
of our faith and hope, and for the sustaining of
our courage along the toilsome way of homely
duty by the force of His example who is like to us
in all things, save only sin. Thabor, Gethsemane^
Calvary, are our resource in the crucial hours of
life, in the strife between the spirit and the flesh,
which reduces to an agony. But these seasons
are the exception, and the lessons they call for
were briefly given. A few moments He showed
Himself to us as our glorified Head ; a few hours
as our Model in the extremity of mental and
physical pain. But for the monotonous round
of labour which is the rule of our life, He judged
a corresponding term of teaching to be necessary.
And so we have the thirty years of hidden life in
the cottage and the workshop of Nazareth.
It is only because we have not studied it in
detail that this period of our Lord’s life appears
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less wonderful than the years of miracles or the
death of the Cross. In one sense it is more
wonderful. That earth, and sea, and disease, and
death should obey Him, that all nature should be
convulsed on Calvary, is not surprising. But
that God could do anything commonplace, that
He should be a helpless Babe, an errand Boy,
a tradesman — His back bowed beneath burdens,
His hands hardened with toil, His work of the
simplest and commonest, uninteresting, unnoticed,
bringing Him no reputation — could it have entered
into the heart of man to conceive this ?
Nazareth is the school in which all must learn.
In whatever station of life our lot may be cast,
there must be labour, and labour sanctified.
Though heaven has been opened to us by the
death on the Cross, it has still to be earned as
a reward. It is set before us as a kingdom
to be won by violence, as a treasure revealed
to earnest search. Work of mind or body is the
price all must pay for eternal rest. We must
bring to God His gifts improved by industry
if we are to be welcomed as faithful servants;
we must work in the vineyard if we are to expect
the hire when evening comes.
Many of us look upon labour as a hard necessity.
Yet it was a law in Eden itself before it became
a punishment: “The Lord God took man, and
put him into the paradise of pleasure to dress it
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and bo keep it.” And when sin brought the
decree : “ In the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat
bread,” labour was to be no mere penalty, even
then, but a remedy and a safeguard. It is to
heal what sin has wounded, to ward off the moral
evils that rush in upon the indolent soul, as the
sea upon low-lying lands when the dykes are
swept away.
We know this, we feel it by the intimate con-
viction of experience, and nevertheless we are
not reconciled to our lot. Our courage flags
under the burden and heat of the day. There
are times when the monotony of life chafes the
most enduring of us. Therefore our Head would
bear it first. Toil should have the unspeakable
honour of being consecrated by the touch of His
hands. It should be made easy to us by the
example of the Man God, poor and in labours
from His youth. In a little bit of a village
hidden amid the hills ; among country folk,
uncouth and of ill-repute ; in a two-roomed houses
and a workshop up the street, He would spend
the greater part of His life on earth.
See it — a wooden shed wedged in between two
others — the workshop of the Son of God. Let us
creep in, and kneel down, and watch. He has
laid aside his upper garment to allow his limbs
free play. His face, and neck, and arms are
bronzed by exposure,- for half His work is done
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out of doors, in the small enclosure yonder where
you see the logs. The veins stand out in the
delicate, sensitive hands, the palms are hard with
toil. He uses now the saw, now the plane, now
the hammer, as He makes and mends cart-wheels,
tables, stools, all the furniture of that rude, out-
of-the-way place. His work is well done, but it
is rough. His tools are clumsy. Everything in
the shape of carpentering is in a very backward
state here at Nazareth. He gets no thanks for
His work. No store is set by it. No one knows
it or prizes it as His. There is no keeping of
relics. When it is done with, it will be thrown
aside or burnt like anything else. So far from
gaining any reputation by those long years of
labour, they rather stood in His way when His
time for preaching came : “ Is not this the
carpenter?” Can anything good come from
Nazareth ?
He works alone. He could not pay an assistant.
The division of labour which goes so far to lessen
its difficulties and its irksomeness, is not for Him.
Now and again He pauses through sheer exhaus-
tion, and wipes His heated brow. The sun
mounts high in the heavens, the sun of that sultry
land ; but He is a poor man and must work on,
work against time. Now He lifts His head, a
villager has come in, and He goes forward to
receive orders. At noon there is a short respite,
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and the thought of Mary, and the heart to heart
converse with her during their simple meal and
prayer together, brings Him refreshment and
gladness. But the afternoon sees Him hard at
work again. What He has made and mended
has to be carried on His shoulders to the little
homes about. He waits while it is examined and
criticised. However low He has priced His labour,
He is beaten down as a matter of course. He
holds out His hand for His pay, and thanks His
employer, and goes back to His shop to sweep up
the shavings and leave all neat and ready for the
morrow.
And this day after day, year after year. Always
the same round of humble duties — making, mend-
ing, journeying to and fro ; His tasks set by others,
and subject to their criticism and caprica No
beholder to note the perfection of every act, of
every movement : to see the uplifted eye ; to
hear the whispered prayer ; to be helped by His
patience and His perseverance ; to share His
pain at rebuffs, and unkindness, and blame unde-
served.
0 wonderful mystery of that hidden life of
daily toil, how ill could we have spared it from
the three-and-thirty years ! Hither we come for
rest and for strength, for example and consolation,
all our lives through. Well did Thy wisdom and
Thy love counsel Thee, Lord, to give to this task
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of silent teaching the longest part of Thy earthly
life. A month, a week of such teaching would
have been an unutterable condescension and help.
But it would not have had the force given by the
perseverance of years. It is not the difficulty of
any work at the outset that we feel. Hand and
brain will give themselves eagerly to labour when
the charm of novelty is upon it. Difficulties do
but add zest to our exertions — at the start. But
when monotony begins to tire, when we see
nothing before us, perhaps through long years,
but the dreary vista of the same humdrum toil,
then it is we need the workshop of Nazareth, then
it is we understand the invitation : “ Come to Me
all you who labour.”
There was no excitement in the little home at
Nazareth. No elegant artistic articles drew the
eyes of men to the Carpenter’s shop. He was
no distinguished man among His fellows, that
village tradesman. Yet the world lay in the
hollow of His hand, and the mightiest works of
human genius to His infinite wisdom had been
sport. To teach us patience and obedience, and
the secret of real greatness in the obscurity of a
humble home, Jesus of Nazareth toiled amid dust
and shavings for the better part of twenty years.
Thither He calls all those whose lot on earth is
like His own. He calls them in these restless,
feverish days to look and ponder, to unlearn the
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world's judgments and learn of Him. He holds
out His reward : “ Learn of Me that I am meek
and humble of heart, and you shall find rest to
your souls.”
Call me, 0 Lord, and bid me come to Thee.
Let me watch Thee in Thy poor home and at Thy
lowly trade. Keep me by Thy side till the
lessons of Thy life and the dispositions of Thy
Heart have passed into mine. Let me see Thy
form, bowed beneath the burdens carried to and
fro ; Thy hands laid to the drudgery of the saw,
the hammer, the broom ; Thy mind given to the
petty details of the village carpentry. And
seeing this, can I, 0 Master, go on reckoning by
the world’s standards? Can I repine at my
station or my means, and harbour thoughts of
impatience or regret ? Shall I not rather account
myself blessed if I am called to share, in any
degree, Thy lot?
Let me not be among the restless and the self-
seeking who want vocations that are no call of
Thine ; who fret because Thy service means doing
Thy Will and not their own; who keep their
gaiety and their attractiveness for strangers, and
their discourtesy and moroseness for their own
homes. Lord, let me realise that I belong not
to myself but to Thee, that I came into this
world, not as a proprietor into his domain, but as
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a servant to watch and wait for his master's beck.
And make me feel that that beck is a call to
happiness no less than to service, happiness
inseparable from faithful service, happiness begun
here, to be perfected in the life to come.
Why should I seek to carve out a path for
myself when there is one of Thy choosing at my
door ? Why not loyally accept Thy Will for me
in events and circumstances, instead of rebelling
against them or trying to modify them after an
ideal of my own? Had the marble of Michael
Angelo been capable of a wish, it would have
been simply this — that there might be nothing
in it to mar the great master's work, that it
might so yield itself to his hand as to bring out
his conception fully. Let me enter into Thy
designs for myself and others, not with the
passiveness of unresisting matter, but with the
zeal of a servant devoted to the interests of his
master, the loving eagerness of a friend to fall in
with the plans of a friend. Thou art more to me,
infinitely more, than master or friend. All
devotedness and eager love are called for when
there is question of co-operating with Thee. As
far as I can understand Thy action in all that
happens, it shall call forth my praise. When
Thy “ways are past finding out,” I will adore
them in silence and in trust.
J esus, who in Thy days of humble toil pleased
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God, who couldst say : “ I do always the things
that please Him” (John viii.), come to me to-day
to make my heart like Thine. Unite me so closely
to Thyself that I too, in every thought, and word,
and deed, may be acceptable to God, and do always
the things that please Him.
after Communion*
“ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts ! *
“Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living
God.”
“ My Lord and my God.”
“Truly Thou art a hidden God” (Isa. ;riv.).
“ O Lord, how great are Thy works ! Thy
thoughts are exceeding deep” (Ps. xci.).
“Give praise to our God, all ye His servants:
and you that fear Him, little and great *
(Apoc. xix.).
“ Thou art worthy, 0 Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power” (Apoc. iv.).
And therefore with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the
heavenly army, we sing a hymn to Thy glory,
saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed is He that cometh
in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest.”
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“ Master, where dwellest Thou ? 99
“ Come and see.”
“ Can anything of good come from Nazareth ? 99
“ Come and see.”
Yes, dearest Lord, all good has come to us
thence, for Thou, Jesus of Nazareth, art all our
good. All divine lessons, all the force of a divine
example, all help, and strength, and consolation
for our humdrum work has come to us from that
little bit of a shop at the bottom of the village
street. This was Thy recompense. This was the
joy set before Thee for the sake of which Thou
didst cheerfully endure the monotony and hard-
ship of those weary years. We think of Thee as
lonely in that obscure spot, almost as wasting
there an example that would have revolutionised
the world had it been shown under other condi-
tions of time and place. But Thy wisdom was
reaching from end to end mightily, and ordering
all things sweetly. All time was before Thee;
and thronging round Thee, adoring, thanking,
drinking in Thy teaching, were all who in every
age would come hither to learn Not Saints
alone, but each one of us however lowly was
present to Thee there. Each one can say : “ He
loved me and delivered Himself for me ” to that
life of toil and trouble. He knows what it is to
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have to work on when brain and arm are weary,
when nature cries out for break or change in the
task to which we rise each morning.
Shall not Thy example, O loving Lord, be my
strength, and Thy sympathy my all-sufficient
consolation? I have to show my gratitude to
Thee. I have to make a personal return for what
was done as much for me as if it had been for me
alone. How shall I do this except by proving
that Thou hast not laboured for me in vain ?
Teach me, my God, the lesson of Nazareth.
Give me to see the law of labour in its true light,
to accept it in any shape in which Thy Providence
may lay it at my door. And if I find it not there,
to go forth and seek it as the material of which my
happiness here and hereafter must be fashioned,
as my safeguard, my title to reward. Let me
love it still more because it likens me to Thee.
And let my work be worthy of the name. Not
one of the many devices for killing time. Not
taken up on the whim of the moment and cast
aside as soon as it proves laborious or irksome.
But occupation that taxes the energy of limb, and
brain, and soul ; that entails application and
fatigue ; that calls for the sacrifice of leisure and
natural inclination. Let it be done and faithfully
done, not because I am obliged, not because it is
remunerative or interesting, but because it is
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the expression of my love, because it is my service
of Thee.
At Nazareth Thou hast taught us the worth of
little things done for God. But how slow we are
to learn our lesson. Unless we can make a show
we suppose we are doing nothing. If anything
will teach me the value of humble, unobtrusive
toil, surely it is the workshop there. And it will
teach me if I look long and quietly, and try to do
my work at my Master’s side, watching Him,
noting how He works, observing His eyes, and
lips, and hands, looking into His Heart.
And since my work is poor and worthless and
unworthy of Thy acceptance, unite it, Lord, with
Thine, and offer it with the merit of Thine in-
finitely precious labours to the Father for me.
Daily in the Mass those merits are made over to
me. I desire to appropriate them, and through
Thy hands to offer all I have and am to God.
M Per Ipsum, et cum Ipso, et in Ipso,” by Thee,
with Thee, in Thee, may all I do, and say, and
suffer be presented to the Father and be made
pleasing in Thy sight.
O Jesus of Nazareth, bring home to all the
toilers of earth the lessons of Thy holy hidden
life. Show all men how labour has been ennobled,
sweetened, and sanctified by Thee ; how all our
work by union with Thine may become precious
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in the sight of God, and purchase for ns eternal
rest and joy when evening comes and the labourers
receive their hire.
Oblation and Petition, p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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II
"Man is born to labour” — Job v.
iSefute ffiomtmtntotu
The law of labour is upon us all. Head or hand,
or both, must carry out the sentence pronounced
in Paradise on every child of Adam. But besides
the bodily toil to which we rise each morning,
there is another more important and more onerous,
from which none is exempt. St Paul puts it
before us with his usual energy of expression
when writing to his converts at Philippi he
says: “Work out your salvation with fear and
trembling ” (Philip, ii.). And again in the com-
prehensive phrase : “ Put on Christ ” (Galat. iii.).
To work a thing out implies strenuous effort
and patient perseverance. A problem is not
worked out when we leave its solution to chance,
or trust to its coming right of itself. All work
that is to be a success must have devoted to it
939
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intelligent and persistent labour, and a will pre-
pared to surmount all difficulties. No building
is raised, no art acquired, no victory gained on
other conditions. And the “ one thing necessary 99
is not to be secured at a less price. We are sent
into the world for the one purpose of bringing
ourselves into conformity with our Head, that
we may be worthy to share His glory. “For
whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to
be made conformable to the image of His Son”
(Rom. viii.).
To the Ephesians St. Paul speaks of “ learning
Christ” (Ephes. iv.). It is a difficult task, but
the toil is divided between Master and pupils.
A good teacher prepares long and carefully. He
counts no pains too great, no instruments too
costly, no details too small to deserve attention.
His part done, it remains for the learners to do
theirs. They must bring to their lesson a docile,
eager, receptive mind, an attentive eye and' ear,
a resolute will, if there is to be any satisfactory
result. If interest flags, the best lesson will fall
flat, and — who shall tell with what disappoint-
ment to the teacher 1
Dear Master, how long and how painfully hast
Thou prepared Thy lessons for me ! Far back in
the Eternal years were Bethlehem, and Nazareth,
Cethsemane, and Calvary decreed, and their
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every circumstance fitted to my need. An
Angel teacher might have been assigned me,
and surely this had been an inestimable grace.
But the Lord of Angels would have no substitute.
He must come Himself. By His own lips were
’ the hard truths to be taught. By His own
practice should they be softened. By His own
grace should they bear fruit.
St. Paul calls attention to the marvellous love
of God in condescending to become Himself our
Teacher. “The goodness and kindness of God
our Saviour hath appeared to all men, instructing
us . . (Titus xxiii). And shall I not be
grateful ! And shall I not care to learn ! And
when kings and prophets have desired to see and
hear what is granted to me, shall I be heedless
and indifferent !
We have to “put on Christ.” It is a con-
sequence of our baptism, St. Paul tells us (Galat.
iii.). But what a transformation the words
suggest ; what a putting aside of things that cling
to us as part of our very selves, before we can be
“ clothed upon ” ; before we can put on Christ !
Lord, what a change must come about in my soul
before I am in any respect like Thee I What
a contrast is there between Thy love and joyous
acceptance of the Father’s Will, and my mis-
trust and frequent rejection of that blessed Will
to follow the perversity of my own! Between
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Thy holiness and my sinfulness. Between Thy
fortitude through a life of suffering, and my
impatience under the least annoyance. Between
the sublime self-immolation of thy life, and the
utter selfishness of mine. Lord, where shall I
begin: have I as yet begun my life’s work of
learning Thee ?
“ Learn of Me that I am meek and humble of
heart.”
Thou hast Thyself marked out my course —
where I am to begin and — where I am to end.
For if I am like Thee in Thy meekness and
humility, 1 shall be like Thee wholly; I shall
have put on Christ.
Lord, help me! For it is just in these two
points that I am most unlike Thee. I look at
Thy self-forgetfulness, Thy gentle, courteous
ways; Thy compassion for the poor and suffer-
ing ; Thy tender sympathy for all in need ; Thy
lowliness of heart and readiness for humble
service; and in the midst of unparalleled insult
and injury, Thy serenity and peace of heart.
' A.nd my heart! Its hardness and its selfish-
ness ; my unkind thoughts and criticism ; my
harsh tones; my exacting ways; my stinginess
in giving time and interest and sympathy; my
slowness in acts of charity that cost! There is
self-seeking in all my dealings with others ; even
in my dealings with^Thee. Jf I neglect prayer ;
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if I play with temptation ; if I fail in the duties
of my state — self-indulgence is at the root of all.
What shall I do, Lord? What remedy can
put right so much that is wrong ?
“ Fear not ; behold your God ” (Isa. xl.).
“ Fear not and be not dismayed : for the Lord
will be with thee and will not leave thee nor
forsake thee, till thou hast finished all the work
for the service” (1 Par. xxviii. ).
Help me then, dear Lord. This shall be my
encouragement in the struggle with self, that I
fight not alone or on my own account, but “ for
the service/ * The cause is Thine, my King, and
Thou art ever at hand with all needful grace.
By the kindness of Thy looks, and words, and
listening, give me kind looks and words for all.
Make me like Thee in my dealings with others,
especially with the companions of my daily life.
Show me where selfishness hides, and help me to
overcome a little every day. Teach me to accom-
modate myself to those of a different character
from my own ; to make allowances for mistakes
and misunderstanding, for the pressure of trial or
of work. Let my first instinct be that of Thy
Blessed Mother at Cana — not to censure, but to
pity, to excuse, to help. Let me deserve mercy
by being always merciful.
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Victory over self can be won only by frequent
and earnest effort. And effort will cost. But I
can do all things in Him who strengthens me,
who comes to me to-day to pour into my heart the
treasures of His.
“ Strengthen me, 0 Lord God ” (Judith xiii.).
“Give me constancy in my mind . . . and
fortitude, that I may overthrow my enemies ”
(Judith ix.).
“ Strengthen me that I may bring to pass that
which I have purposed, having a belief that it
might be done by Thee” (Judith xiii.).
after
“ Fear not ; behold your God ” (Isa. xL).
“ It is I, be not afraid ” (John vi.).
“ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.”
“ Let all the earth adore Thee and sing to
Thee” (Ps. lxv.).
“Let all Thy Angels and Saints bless Thee,
and praise Thee, and glorify Thee for ever”
(Dan. iii.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants :
and you that fear Him, little and great ” (Apoc.
xix.).
“ 0 bless our God, and make the voice of His
praise to be heard ” (Ps, lxv.).
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“ For who is God but the Lord, or who is God
but our God?” (Ps. xvii.).
u Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour; and power : because Thou hast
created all things, and for Thy will they were,
and have been created ” (Apoc. iv.).
u The Lord is with thee” How often are these
words upon my lips ! How often do I congratulate
the Blessed among women on this her supreme
happiness : “ Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum ! ”
And behold ! at this moment as I kneel bowed
down, my hands folded upon my breast, con-
gratulations, could I only hear them, are around
me on every side.
44 The Lord is with thee ” my Good Angel is
saying, as he makes his thanksgiving beside me,
adoring, praising, loving Him whom he beholds
beneath the veils. “ 0 child, rejoice and give
thanks, ‘for this is God, our God unto eternity,
and for ever and ever* (Ps. xlvii.). Having
Him thou hast all things. All that is due to
Him is now in thy power to give. All thy need
He is here to satisfy. ‘0 magnify the Lord
with me, and let us extol His name together 9 ”
(Ps. ^xxiii).
44 The Lord is with thee” say the Blessed,
remembering their own Communions, enjoying
now the fruits of their faith, seeing how their
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Communions on earth were the principle of all
the grace that has now blossomed into glory,
the principle, too, of the glorious resurrection
awaiting the body when its hour shall come.
“The Lord is with thee! The Lord is with
thee!” they say to me. Oh profit by His
Presence, every instant of which is rich in
eternal fruit.
“ The Lord is with thee I ” say the holy waiting
Souls, in wistful supplication. li He is with thee
who is so easily appeased on earth, the realm of
mercy; whose judgments are so rigorous when
life and time are past. Lift up for us the prayer
He has come on purpose to hear. Stretch out to
us the hands He is filling with gifts, that through
your riches your poor brethren may go free.”
“ The Lord is with thee” the Holy Trinity
Itself says to m e. “ More than this Gif t God Him-
self cannot give thee; less would not meet thy
wants. Pressing upon thee at all times are thy
duties as a creature — adoration, thanksgiving,
praise ; of a sinful and needy creature— prayer
for mercy, and for all things necessary for soul
and body. The Lord is with thee now to
pay all thy debts ; to adore, and praise, and give
thanks in thy name ; to forgive all thy sins ;
to supply all thy need. How hath He not with
Himself given thee all things ?
“ Thou art weak and unstable. The devil and
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the world are strong. But I am the most mighty
God, fear not (Gen. xlvi.).
“ A treacherous and more dangerous foe assails
thee from within. Restless passions continually
disturb thy peace and threaten thee with destruc-
tion. c Fear not, nor be afraid of them 9 (Deut. i.).
‘If thou say in thy heart: These enemies are
more than I, how shall I be able to destroy them ?
Fear not, because the Lord thy God is in the
midst of thee. He will consume them by little
and little and by degrees ; tLou wilt not be able
to destroy them altogether lest thou shouldst say
in thy heart: My own might and the strength of
my own hand have achieved all these things for
me, and thy heart be lifted up. But the
Lord thy God shall slay them until they be
utterly destroyed’ (Deut. vii., viii). ‘He shall
cast out the enemy from before thee, and shall
say : Be thou brought to nought ’ (Deut. xxxiii.).
4 Let not your heart, then, be dismayed ; be not
afraid; fear them not; because the Lord your
God is in the midst of you, and will fight for you
against your enemies, to deliver you from danger 1
(Deut. xx.).
“ Thou art sick, sick even unto death ? I am
come to heal thee. * They that are whole need
not the Physician, but they that are sick * (Luke
V.). ‘The Lord will take away from thee all
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sickness, and the grievous infirmities which thou
knowest* (Deut. vii.).
“Thou art 4 wretched and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked. 1 With a wistful eye thou
beholdest the riches of others — the generosity
and self-sacrifice, the humility and patience, the
charity, faith, fortitude of the Saints? Be of
good courage. 4 Are not these things stored up
with Me?’ (Deut. xxxii.). Have I not with
Myself given thee all things ?
“ Friends fall away with years, and a sense of
solitude weighs upon thee more and more ?
4 Behold I am with thee all days 9 (Matt, xxviii.),
4 the Faithful and True 9 (Apoc. xix.). 4 God is not
as a man that He should lie, nor as the son of
man that He should be changed * (Numb, xxiii).
4 1 am the Lord, and I change not 9 (Malach. iii).
4 1 have loved thee with an everlasting love*
(Jer. xxxi.). 4 1 have called thee by thy name,
thou art Mine 9 (Isa. xlv.).
44 Life is long, and the way is dreary, and thou
art bowed down beneath the burden of the day
and the heats. 4 Do manfully, and let thy heart
take courage' (Ps. xxvi.). ‘Wait on God with
patience, join thyself to God, and endure 9 (Ecclus.
ii.). 4 For behold short years pass away, and
thou art walking in a path by which thou shalt
not return 9 99 (Job xvi.).
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“ O God, my strong One, in Thee will I trust :
my rock, and my strength, and my Saviour"
(2 Kings xxii.). c< For there is no other God but
Thou, who hast care of all. And because Thou art
Lord of all, Thou makest Thyself gracious to all "
(Wisd. xii.). “ Grant me this grace, that with
all my strength I may love Him that made me ”
(Ecclus. vii.), and fear Thee and serve Thee with
my whole heart” (1 Kings xii.). “To the work
of Thy hands reach out Thy right hand” (Job
xiv.). “ And let me cleave to Thee, O Lord, my
God ” (Josue xxii.).
Lord Jesus, I do indeed desire to be conformed
to Thee, my Head. I desire to be like Thee here
that I may be like Thee and with Thee hereafter.
I know that a member daintily treated, ill becomes
a Head that has suffered so much. I know, too,
that though Thy coming to me in Holy Com-
munion is to make me like Thyself, the change will
be a gradual one, brought about by my own efforts,
helped by Thy grace. It will not be sudden ; it
will not be painless. Only by means of repeated
acts can I put off myself and put on Christ. I
must not avoid, but use well the opportunities
Thy Providence will place in my way. There will
be many failures. But I will not be discouraged.
“God is my strong One, in Him will I trust”
(2 Kings xxii.). The work is His, He will
accomplish it in His own time. Quietly and
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gradually He will transform me into His like-
ness that I may be able to say in my measure :
“I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me”
(Galat. ii.).
Oblation and Petition , , p. 87.
Ifnjer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“Lardy help me I*
before Communion.
u And He went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon ;
and entering into a house He would that no man
should know it, and He could not be hid. For a
woman of Canaan, as soon as she heard of Him,
came in and fell down at His feet, and crying
out said to Him : Have mercy on me, O Lord,
Thou Son of David, my daughter is grievously
troubled by a devil.”
She was one of those who will dare anything,
brave everything, to gain the desire of their
heart. She had heard of the Wonder-worker
who was going through the length and breadth of
His own land doing good to all, and healing every
disease and every infirmity among the people.
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Oh that He would come her way ! She was not
one of His ; but once within reach of her prayer
He should not depart till He had heard and
answered it.
One day she was startled by the tidings that
He had crossed the borders of Judea, and was
in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. Instantly her
resolution was taken. She would find Him. She
would throw herself at His feet. Her poor child
should be cured at last. Nothing stayed her;
neither fear of rebuff, nor the warning that He
would have no one know where He was, nor the
fear of angering Him by the intrusion of a
Gentile.
She came in and fell down at His feet :
“Have mercy on me, 0 Lord, Thou Son of
David, my daughter is grievously troubled by a
devil.”
Who answered her not a word.
What a reception ! And she had heard He
was so tender, and so merciful, that He listened
to all, heard the prayers of all. But she would
take no refusal. He must, He must take pity on
her child. She crouched low at His feet. Now
it is a sob, now a passionate cry :
“Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O
Son of David I ”
She is making herself a nuisance. The Twelve
gathered round our Lord turn angrily upon her
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and bid her stop. Their Master does not mean
to do anything for the pagan people of this land ;
she must be quiet and go home. As if she had
not heard them, she continues her pitiful cry :
“ Have mercy on me."
They turn to our Lord and beseech Him
saying : “ Send her away, for she crieth after us.”
And He takes their part : “ I was not sent but
to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel.”
“ Lord, help me,” is her only reply. No sign
of discouragement, of having taken amiss what
seemed so hard ; only that earnest, trusting cry :
“ Lord, help me ! ”
Our Lord looks down upon her. He sees the
agony of her soul. Her prayer is perfect. She
has done all she can. And still He does not
relent. Nay, His words grow sterner as the
fervour of her prayer grows more intense.
" It is not good to take the bread of the
children and to cast it to the dogs.”
How can He speak like this ? Has she come
so far to be called a dog? See how splendidly
she bears the rebuff. She is not piqued. Her
humble trust does not give way. Like Jacob she
is strong against God. Jacob wrestled with an
angel ; she measures her strength with the Lord
of Angels, with God Himself. See the ingenuity
with which she turns His words to her pw»
purpose ;
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€t Yea, Lord, for the whelps also eat under the
table, of the crumbs of the children. I do not
ask for the bread, but only for the crumbs that
fall, the crumbs the children will not miss.”
Our Lord is conquered. “ 0 woman, great is
thy faith ; be it done to thee as thou wilt.” And
her daughter was cured from that hour.
Was it worth while to have waited, and trusted,
and wrestled in prayer so long ? Was it reward
enough to look up to Him and see His smile, and
hear from His lips that glorious praise ? He who
felt so keenly the want of faith in His chosen
people, who again and again had rebuked His
own disciples for their little faith, had found
what He sought in this poor sheep outside the
fold of Israel. And His delighted admiration
broke forth in words that must have startled the
Twelve : " 0 woman, great is thy faith ; be it done
to thee as thou wilt.”
Only a woman could have shown such tact,
have dared to make capital out of such a rebufE
And perhaps we may add — only a woman would
He have tried so sorely. He who knows what is
in man feared not to test to the utmost her
faith and her forbearance. He knows that a
woman’s heart will brook delay, contempt, re*
proach, in the pursuit of its end, and never desist
till its cause is won. •
We notice that her prayer gains in fervour
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and persistence from* the severity and prolonga-
tion of her trial And as it grows in intensity
and perfection, she simply asks for help without
naming her need. We may follow her example
here, and put our trouble before the pitying
Heart of Jesus without even asking for help — the
help we know will come. So the sisters at
Bethany did when their brother Lazarus lay
dying : “ Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick.”
Or we may tell our wants, and wait in patient
trust for Him to provide. So she did, at whose
prayer His first miracle was wrought at Cana of
Galilee. “ They have no wine.” He will sooner
anticipate His time, break through nature's laws,
work any sign, than suffer to go unheeded a
trustful prayer.
The Mother of Jesus taught us at Cana not to
be disheartened by a rebuff. “ Woman, what is
it to Me and to thee ? My hour is not yet come.”
They were stern words. Did she give up all for
lost? Did she desist? She looked up into His
face — the face she knew so well — and there was
that in it which belied the severity of His speech.
Turning to the waiters she said : “ Whatsoever
He shall say to you, do ye.” His time was not
yet come ; but a trusting prayer has its way with
Him at all times. She hoped in Him, and was
not confounded.
And lest I should say that such privilege was
a
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for His Mother only, I have* the example of the
pagan woman whose sole plea lay in her need,
her recourse to Him, her humility, her perse-
verance. To excuse, maybe, the churlishness of
the disciples, St. Matthew and St. Mark empha-
size the fact that this poor suppliant had no
claim upon our Lord. She was “a woman of
Canaan, who came out of those coasts, a Gentile,
a Syrophenician born.” If she was a lost sheep,
our Lord himself reminded her that she was not
one of the house of Israel to whom He was sent.
She was no child of the household, but a dog.
Could words have been more crushing? They
had not the slightest effect upon her trust. She
had come to Him in her dire need ; she was not
going to leave Him unheard. She was deaf to
stern, hard words, both from the Master and His
followers. But she was not blind. She had
looked up into the face of Jesus, and through Hia
eyes she had read His Heart. What if the tones
of His voice were against her — there was sym-
pathy there. She was not of His race, but He
was of her nature. He was man; He was
pitying :
“ Son of David, have mercy on me ! M
Son of David, have mercy on me! Thou art
the same now, Lord, as the day that suffering
mother knelt at Thy feet. My need to-day was
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present to Thee then. Thou didst try her faith
so sorely, to strengthen mine. Thou hast set this
pagan woman as a model for the suppliants of all
time. I will study her; I will learn of her.
Like her I will bear rebuff, delay, the agony of
suspense. Like her I will trust in Thy Heart,
and trusting, persevere in prayer. Lord, help
me ; Son of David, have mercy on me 1
Sftet Cfltntramfmt.
11 Blessed be the Lord this day ” (3 Kings v.).
“ 0 my soul, bless the Lord, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name ” (Ps. cii.).
“ Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Id.).
“ Bless the Lord, all you His Angels, you that
are mighty in strength " (Id.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants :
and you that fear Him, little and great ”
(Apoc. xix.).
“ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us
extol His Name together ” (Ps. xxxiii.).
“ O bless our God, and make the voice of His
praise to be heard ” (Ps. lxv.).
“ Blessed be the Lord, for He hath shown His
wonderful mercy to me (Ps. xxx.).
41 For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and
hath filled the empty soul with good things”
(Ps. cvi).
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44 It is not meet to take the bread of the
children and to cast it to the dogs.”
“Yea, Lord, for the whelps also eat of the
crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.”
“ It is not good to admit a sinner and an out-
cast to the privileges of the children of God.”
Yea, Lord, for Thou hast come to call not the
just, but sinners. Thou wert called the Friend of
sinners. Thou didst run out to meet the prodigal,
and didst make him welcome to all the good
things of his father’s house.
“ It is not meet that the Will of the Creator
should bend to the will of the creature.”
Yea, Lord, Thou didst bless “Israel Thy
beloved” for that he was strong against God.
And through all time it hath seemed good unto
Thee that we should wrestle with Thee in prayer
and prevail.
Remember, O Lord, that Thou hast bid us ask,
and seek, and knock.
Remember that it is to importunity, not to
merit, that Thy favour is promised : “ For every-
one that asketh, receiveth ; and he that seeketh,
findeth ; and to him that knocketh, it shall be
opened.”
Remember that if we being evil know how to
give good gifts to our children, much more will
our Father who is in heaven give good things to
them that ask Him.
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Remember Thou hast said : “ If you ask the
Father anything in My name He will give it
you. Hitherto you have not asked anything in
My name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your
joy may be full.”
Behold, I ask, and seek, and knock. I cry to
Thee day and night. Hear me and have pity on
me, lest continually coming, I weary Thee.
Because I continue knocking, rise and give to
me. If not because I am Thy friend, yet because
of my importunity give me all I need.
I cry after Thee with the Syrophenician woman :
“ Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David.”
With her I come and adore Thee, saying : “ Lord,
help me.”
Say to me as to the blind men of Capharnaum :
“ Do you believe that I can do this unto you ? ”
And with full faith I will answer with them:
“ Yea, Lord.”
Say to me : “If Thou canst believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth.” And I will
cry out with tears : “ I do believe; Lord, help my
unbelief.”
Say to me as to the blind man of Jericho :
" What wilt thou that I do to thee ? ”
Say to me as to the sorrowing mother of Naim :
“Weep not.”
Yet, lest my prayer be one of those to which
Thou wilt make answer: “You know not what
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you ask,” one that is not conducive to my real
welfare, or to the good of those for whom I pray,
one that will be heard by the grant of something
better — I add with Thee in the Garden :
“ Abba, Father, all things are possible to Thee,
remove this chalice from me. But yet not my
will, but Thine be done. My Father, if this
chalice may not pass away but I must drink it*
Thy Will be done.”
Oblation and Petition , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12 ,
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"And when she came to the man of God, she
caught hold of his feet, and Giezi came to remove
her. And the man of God said : Let her alone, for
her sovd is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it
from me, and hath not told me ” — 4 Kings iv.
Before Communion.
Stern and rugged men they seem to us, those
prophets of the Old Law. Yet, how tender is
Elias here, in presence of a mother’s sorrow. He
almost seems to take it ill that God had not told
him of her trouble. He will not have her dis-
turbed when she casts herself at his feet. He
hears through her passionate expostulation : “ Did
I not ask a son of my Lord? did I not say to
thee : Do not deceive me ? ” He anticipates her
prayer and provides at once for her consolation.
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“ Go,” he says to his servant, “ and lay my staff
upon the face of the child. ,, He yields to her
waywardness. But the mother of the child said :
“As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I
will not leave thee.” He arose, therefore, and
followed her, and himself raised her child to life.
Will “the God of much compassion” (Exod.
xxxiv.), “the God of all comfort " (2 Cor. i.), be
less tender than His servant? Can we count too
much on the pitying Heart of Christ our Lord
when we come to His feet in desolation and
distress? With a true instinct the Sunamitess
discards such consolation as the prophet’s servant
might have offered her, and betakes herself to
“the man of God” in whom she recognises the
power and mercy of God Himself. She came
to the man of God to Mount Carmel. And when
the man of God saw her coming, he said to Giezi,
his servant : “ Go to meet her, and say to her :
Is all well with thee, and with thy husband, and
with thy son? And she answered: Well.” A
figure of the soul that looks not to creatures for
consolation and help, that stops not to discuss its
trouble with them, but flies straight to the
Creator.
There are wounds which the touch of man only
chafes and inflames. We must commit them to
the one tender handling that will soothe their
pain, “pouring in oil and wine.” “Send them
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away," said the Apostles of the tired, hungry
multitude who had flocked after our Lord into
the desert. “ Send her away,” of the poor mother
who came crying after Him for her suffering
child. This is often the best we can expect from
creatures in our need. I will turn for comfort
and for help to the Creator, to Him who has said :
44 Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will
deliver thee " (Ps. xlix.). 44 Him that cometh to
Me, I will not cast out " (John vi.).
44 Arise, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise,
and cast us not off to the end : why tumest Thou
Thy face away and forgettest our trouble ? ”
(Ps. xliii.).
“0 God, who art mighty above all, hear the
voice of them that have no other hope, and
deliver me from my fear ” (Esther xiv.).
“Deliver us by Thy hand, and help us who •
have no other helper but Thee, 0 Lord, who hast
the knowledge of all things" (Id.).
44 Remember, O Lord, and show Thyself to. me
in the time of my tribulation " (Id.).
“Help us, O God, our Saviour, and for the
glory of Thy Name, 0 Lord, deliver us" (Ps.
lxxviii.).
14 Arise, 0 Lord, and help us for Thy Name's
sake " (Ps. xliii.).
44 1 have regarded My own holy Name. ... It
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is not for your sake that I will do this, but for
My holy Name's sake ” (Ezech. xxxvi.).
Lord, suy thus to me as to Thy people of old.
I know too well that wert Thou to consider me
alone, my prayer must go unheard for ever. But
it is not for my sake but for Thy own that I
entreat Thee to hear and answer me. Remember
Thy promise : “ Whatsoever you shall ask the
Father in My Name, that will I do: that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall
ask Me anything in My Name, that will I do”
(John xiv.). I would rather it were to glorify
Thy great Name than to reward any merit of
mine that Thou shouldst listen to me and help
me. Not to us, 0 Lord, not to us, but to Thy
Name give glory.
after Communion.
* Whence is this to me that my Lord should
come to me ? ”
“ For this is God, our God unto eternity, and
for ever and ever” (Ps. xlvii.).
“ Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“ My Lord and my God.”
“Lord, I believe; help Thou my unbelief.”
“ Lord, increase my faith.”
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
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“ For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath
filled the hungry soul with good things ” (Ps. cvi.).
“Give praise to our God, all ye His servants:
and you that fear Him, little and great” (Apoc.
xix.).
“ Sing praises to our God, sing ye ; sing praises
to our King, sing ye ” (Ps. xlvi.).
u Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power ” (Apoc. iv.).
M Amen. Benediction, and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii.).
“ Is all wdl with thee , and with thy husband , and
with thy son ? ” (4 Kings iv.).
Our Lord is like us in all things. In our visits
we ask after the household of our host. So does
He. His concern extends to all that touches us,
all who are dear to us, all whose lives are bound
up with our own, and whose happiness depends in
great measure on the character of our daily inter-
course with them in the close relations of home
life.
“ Is all well with them? If not, why not? Tell
me all about it,” He says. He will not be put
off with the plea that He knows already, and
better than we can tell Him. He saw into the
sad hearts of the two disciples on the road to
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Emmaus, yet He would hear their trouble from
themselves. “ Knowest Thou not the things that
have been done,” they asked. Who said to them,
“What things?” He likes the confidence that
comes to Him for sympathy as well as for help,
that leads Him hither and thither : “ Lord, come
and see.” A friend must hear of hopes, and plans,
and family annoyances. He must be told how a
conversation went well, or a mistake did harm,
how there is friction in such a direction, and in
another every effort to meet a difficulty has
proved useless.
A friend must be a good listener. Ho one can
come near our Lord in this respect. Hour after’
hour we may talk to Him, returning again and
again upon the same old story, and He is never
tired.
“Yes,” some of us are sure to object, “there
is this advantage, but on the other hand He; is
always silent ; never a word in answer, never a
sign to show interest or sympathy. How can con-
versation be kept up under such conditions ? ”
This is a difficulty certainly, though there are
plenty of us to speak for the silent Friend, and
testify to the Voice heard unmistakably in the
depth of the souL Light, consolation, strength —
this is His answer to patient, persevering prayer.
We hear no sound; we miss the sweetness of
human bones ; but it is help we should seek in
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prayer, help that is promised to prayer, not satis-
faction.
Suppose those who have & suit before the law
courts to-day were told that the judge was ready
to give them the benefit of his advice, and so to
sum up the case as to insure its success, on con-
dition that they should lay the affair before him
— would this proviso be found too hard ?
If a crowd of beggars were allowed access to a
rich man who desired to help them, but required
as a condition that he should be told of their need,
and be allowed to aid in his own way and at his
own time — would this deter them from besieging
the rich man’s gate, and wearing the steps of his
doors ?
If in the things of this world union is strength ;
if co-operation is one of the most potent factors
of commercial success, and the counsel of experts
a boon to be utilised to the full, why should there
be less eagerness to secure it for the business of
eternity ?
O children of this world, what a perpetual
reproach you are to the children of light 1 With
all our faith, with all our prudence, how blind and
foolish we show ourselves when there is question
of the things of eternity and of the soul ! Of
course we should like the present satisfaction of a
comforting word from our Prince, our Judge, our
Divine ^Friend in the Tabernacle. But is it for
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us to lay down the terms on which His favour is
to be won ? Because there is difficulty in prayer
- — and that there is, no one who has practised it
will deny — are we going to forego all its privileges?
Prayer was not meant for luxuiy,
Or selfish pastime sweet;
It is the prostrate creature’s place,
At the Creator’s feet, 1
For most of us prayer is no luxury. If
occasionally it is an easy duty, a relief, it is
oftener weary labour, and at times a veritable
agony. But what of that, if by this labour and
through this agony we are earning the present
help we need, and the free, blissful, face-to-face
intercourse with our Heavenly Father, our
Saviour, our Friend, our Brother, which is to
endure throughout eternity ?
Meanwhile His eye is upon us, noting with
pity the irksomeness and toil of “ the prayer of
faith.” If to all humble, trustful prayer is at-
tached the promise : “Ask, and you shall receive,*
who shall tell the superadded force of that suppli-
cation which, like His own under the olive trees,
perseveres in the midst of fear, and heaviness,
and sorrow ! u And being in an agony He prayed
the longer.”
1 Faber.
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O my Saviour and my Model, unite my heavi-
ness and my pain with Thine. Support my weak
prayer at all times by the strength of Thine own.
Give it the fortitude of Thine in face of a coming
trial Give it the trust that leaves all in the
Father’s hands, accepting as good, and best, and
infinitely loving, whatever He shall ordain; say-
ing with Thee, “ Not my will, but Thine be done.
Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed good in Thy
sight/
Oblation and Petition, p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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III
u Good Master ! ”
Before Comtmmfon.
The ruler in the Gospel was mistaken in think-
ing that only on the spot could Christ work the
cure he asked. But he was not mistaken in be-
lieving that with Him all good would come under
his roof. Hence his earnest request that He
would “come down” and heal his child. It
was a desire that would take no refusal.
Jesus therefore said to him : “ Unless you see
signs and wonders, you believe not.” The ruler
saith to Him : “ Lord, come down before that my
son die.” As if he would say: “Lord, in Thy
kindness defer to a more seasonable hour the
reproaches I so well deserve ; but now look only
to my need ; make haste to help me. I cannot
* 7 *
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afford that Thou shouldst seek any plea for the
exercise of Thy mercy beyond my necessity and
my pain.”
I too, dear Lord, am right in believing that
with Thy Blessed Presence all good will come
into my soul. Thou art the Supreme Good. Good-
ness is Thy very nature. It was Thy goodness
that attracted to Thee the needy and the suffer-
ing during the three-and-thirty years of Thy life
on earth. A young man comes running up, and
kneeling before Thee says : “ Good Master, what
shall I do that I may receive life everlasting 1 ”
Thou hadst just been embracing and blessing
the little children. Had he seen Thee fondling
the little tender things, and learned thus Thy
love for the young ? Anyway, he came running
to pour out the fulness of his eager heart. As he
looked up into Thy face, it was its goodness that
struck him ; the name that rose to his lips was :
“ Good Master.”
4 And Jesus looking on him, loved him.” Good
Master, look on me and love me. I have not
seen Thee yet, I have not come under the spell
of Thy divine attractiveness. I am not eager,
fervent, generous. But I come to Thee. I come
like the ruler with a prayer for help, that no sense
of my unworthiness can check. I come like the
young man with desires that Thou Thyself hast
kindled. And, Lord, if Thou wilt but look on me
8
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and speak to me, I will not go away sorrowful,
but with Thy help will give Thee all Thou askest
of me.
“ Our soul waiteth for the Lord, for He is oui
Helper and Protector” (Ps. xxxi.).
“ For in Him our heart shall rejoice, and in His
holy Name we have trusted 99 (Id ).
“Let thy mercy, 0 Lord, be upon us, as we
have hoped in Thee * (Id.),
“ How Thou deliverest them that wait for Thee,
O Lord 99 (Ecclus. li.).
“ I am poor and needy, and my heart is troubled
within me” (Ps. cviii.).
“O look upon me and have mercy on me . . .
show me a token for good 99 (Ps. lxxxv.).
“Do it for Thy Name’s sake” (Jer. xiv.).
after CTontmunton.
“ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts 1 99
“ We praise Thee ; we bless Thee ; we adore
Thee ; we glorify Thee.”
“We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory,”
and more thanks for the wonderful condescension
wherewith Thou dost abase Thyself to us.
“ Whence is this to me that my Lord should
come to me ? ”
“Profoundly I adore Thee, 0 hidden Deity.”
“.Truly Thou art a hidden God ” (Isa. xlv.).
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“ Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“ My Lord and my God.”
“ Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power 99 (Apoc. iv.).
“ Amen. Benediction, and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen 99 (Apoc. vii.).
“ And note, 0 Lord , think of me 91 (Tobias iii.).
Remember Thou hast said : “ Every one that
asketh, receiveth 99 (Luke xi.). The promise is
made, not to Saints, but to “ every one 99 ; not to
merit, but to prayer. I come in under every one.
Give me a kind hearing, dear Lord.
I believe that as Thou art Almighty, and canst
help me in every need, and All Wise, knowing
the best time and way to come to my aid, so
Thou art All Good and wilt help, if not always
as I desire and as soon as I desire, yet always in
the way best for me, as I shall see and own with
joyful gratitude some day. It may well be that
the grant of my prayer in the exact form that I
ask would be less conducive to Thy glory and my
good or the good of those for whom I pray, than
that way of Thine foreseen from eternity as the
best. Therefore, O Father, I commit all to Thee.
I trust in Thy promise : “ What I do Thou
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.”
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I believe firmly that when at Thy feet in Heaven
I look back on these things of time, and Thou
discoverest to me causes and reasons hidden from
me now, I shall see with admiration and delight
that all has been for the best, that Thy Wisdom
and Thy Love have ordered all things sweetly.
To Angels and to Saints, to all the host of
Heaven m} cry of praise will go forth : “ He
hath done all things well ” (Mark vii.), (i Give
praise to our God, all ye His servants, and you
that fear Him, little and great” (Apoc. xix.).
“ As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done ”
(Job i.). “ Blessed be the Name of His majesty
for ever ” (Ps. lxxi.).
My inability at present to guess how this will
come to pass is no trial to my faith. Far easier
is it to believe in the narrowness of my own
views, than to doubt of the breadth, and wisdom,
and goodness of Thine, my God. Why, then,
should I not rehearse the praise of that first hour
in Heaven ; why not say now in faith and in
trust : 44 He hath done all things well. Bless the
Lord, 0 my soul, and let all that is within me
bless His holy Name. For He hath done all
things well. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
never forget all He hath done for thee. For He
hath done all things well.”
The time for merit will soon be past. There
will be no place for faith and trust when in Thy
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light I shall see light. I shall not be able then
to glorify Thee as now when I see in a dark
manner and have the blessing of those who have
not seen and have believed. Now is the accept-
able time, now are the days of salvation. There-
fore, dear Father, take even my most earnest
desires and prayers as subject always and per-
fectly to Thy good pleasure. And give me such
childlike trust in Thee that it may not be shaken
or troubled when my prayer goes apparently
unheard. i( Let not your heart be troubled. You
believe in God, believe also in Me,” were Thy
words to the Twelve at the Last Supper, and not
to them only, but to all who should believe
in Thee. Lord, I believe. I believe in Thee
because Thou art God. I believe in Thy tender
love and care of me and of all whom I love.
Therefore my heart shall not be troubled. “ But
I will always hope; and will add to all Thy
praise” (Ps. lxx.). Hope is praise, a glorious
worship of Thee reserved for earth, unknown
even in the Land of Praise. I will offer it gladly
whilst I can. I will sing to the Lord as long as
I live: I will sing praise to my God while I
have my. being (Ps. ciii.).
Oblation and Petition, pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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" Love is the fulfilling of the law” — Bom. xiii.
Before ffiomtmmfon.
Rabboni, Master, come to me and teach my heart
to love Thee ! Teach me this science which
alone suffices, the acquisition of which discharges
every obligation, and satisfies the whole intellect
as well as the whole heart of man. Let life’s
joys and sorrows come and go ; let its events and
vicissitudes guided by Thy Providence pass over
my head ; let its experiences train, and its various
influences mould my soul in conformity with the
design in Thy eternal mind. And let love be the
goal of all, everything converging to that centre,
everything, however opposed thereto in outward
seeming, tending thither — weakness, failure, im-
perfection, misery, past sin even — all things, all
things without exception working together for
the good of one who loves Thee, Lord, who
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desires to love Thee to the full extent of Thy
commandment ; who would have the whole heart,
the whole soul, mind, and strength, and memory,
and imagination anchored on Thee, filled with
Thee, acting for Thee alone.
I think my prayer for love grows in sincerity
as I realise more and more the conditions of love
— the necessity of the ceaseless struggle with self
which stands upon my threshold and bars Thy
way into my soul, of the painful purification of
the soul and the destruction of all that opposes
the reign of love. To pray for love is to pray for
strength in a lifelong combat. Am I ready for
this, can I pray for this? Yes, Lord, even
though I am conscious of such weakness as would
crush all hope out of my soul did I not know
that strength is made perfect in infirmity.
Abyss calleth upon abyss ; from the depths I cry
to Thee. Thine arm is not shortened, nor am I
the only creature of Thy hands beyond the reach
of Thy Omnipotence. Thou hast loved me with
an everlasting love. Purify this soul of mine
that before the sands of life are run out its every
affection may be centred in Thee.
“ And He went up and lay upon the child, and
put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon
his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and the
child’s flesh grew warm 99 (4 Kings iv.).
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Christ unites His sacred flesh to mine, His
Heart and Soul to mine in a union only sur-
passed in intimacy by the Hypostatic union
itself. Gradually His life passes into mine, my
coldness, inertness, lifelessness give way — “ the
child's flesh grew warm.”
Lord, what can I do to aid in this resurrection ?
What but yield myself to Thee. For the work
must be Thine. Only let there be nothing in me
to hinder Thine action, no deliberate sin, no
resistance to grace, no holding back from Thee a
sacrifice Thou demandest of me. Make me more
and more Thine each day. So act and influence
through me, that there may be simply Thy action
with nothing of mine to spoil it. Unite me so
intimately with Thyself in Holy Communion, that
Thy thoughts, ways, feelings, tastes, may pass
into me, that I may grow into Thy likeness.
Then I shall be able to work for Thee, or rather
then Thou wilt be able to use me as Thy instru-
ment. Thou didst say, dear Lord, of Thyself :
“ He that sent Me is with Me, and He hath not
left Me alone.” This is what I want to say.
Let this be true of me. I am Thy ambassador
sent into this world with a work to do for Thee,
a work in my own soul, a work for others. Thou
knowest I can do neither except in Thy strength,
by Thee and with Thee. Be with me, then,
always. Do not leave me alone. Oh that by
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union with Thee I could say like Thee : “ I do
always the things that please Him.”
Remember, Lord, Thy promise : “ He that
eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me.” This
is all I ask or desire — to live by Thee ; Thy
memory, not mine ; Thy understanding, not
mine ; Thy will, not mine ; not my thoughts,
and actions, and words, but Thy thoughts, Thy
words, Thy actions, the desires of Thy Soul, the
affections of Thy Heart. Ah, Lord, if it could
come to this at last — that Thy Spirit could flow
into me and give life to me as the vine gives life
to the branch !
after Communion.
Thy blessed Name, dear Lord, is all I need in
the first moments after Communion :
It is faith and adoration when I say — Jesus,
Jesus!
It is praise and thanksgiving when I say —
Jesus, Jesus!
It means hope and trust when I say — Jesus,
Jesus!
It is love and welcome when I say — Jesus,
Jesus !
It is sorrow for my sins when I say — Jesus,
Jesus !
It is joy and delight in Thee when I say—
Jesus, Jesus!
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I make reparation for the outrages offered
Thee when I say — Jesus, Jesus !
I abandon myself and all I have to Thee when
I say — Jesus, Jesus I
I pray for union of mind and heart with Thee
when I say — Jesus, Jesus I
I express all I desire for time and eternity
when I say — Jesus, Jesus !
I have Thee here, I hold Thee within my
narrow heart, O immense, illimitable God ! I,
poor and weak, possess Thee, the Creator of
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and
invisible. I, dull and ignorant, am one with
Thee who knowest all things, past, present, and
to come ; all the secrets of nature and of grace ;
all things actual and possible ; all the most
hidden recesses of my heart, its sinfulness and
its merits, its efforts and its frailty, its capabili-
ties and its desires. I, cold and selfish, embrace
Thee, the Lover of all that Thou hast made, the
bender, steadfast Lover of my soul. Oh that I
could make Thee a return of love such as is due
to Thee and might bear some proportion to Thy
love of me ! I could almost be content to be poor
and weak and dull and ignorant, if I were not so
cold. This is the pain I lift perpetually to Thee
in prayer. This, if anything, would make me
desire to be dissolved and be with Christ, I
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look forward to the time when at the sight
of Thy beauty and Thy lovableness, my cold-
ness will melt and vanish faster than a glacier
beneath the torrid sun; when, without effort,
nay, impelled by the force of every power within
me, I shall love Thee with all my heart, with all
my soul, with all my mind, and with all my
strength. Adveniat regnum tuum !
Lord, teach me to love Thee. Let my love
grow with each Communion till it becomes a
faint reflection of Thy love for me. Let me
centre all my affections, desires, interests, in
Thee, so that I may come at last to he like
Thee in tastes and ways, and habits of thought,
and mode of dealing with others. Make it
easy to me to speak to Thee. In joy or trouble
or uncertainty let my first thought be to consult
Thee. Let me bring to Thee all that interests
me, and let me take much to heart whatevei
interests Thoe and concerns Thy glory. Help
me to receive from Thy hand with unques-
tioning trust all that Thou permittest to befall
me; to make sacrifices for Thee readily, even
joyously; to be glad to suffer in Thy company,
glad of the conformity with Thee which the
cross brings.
My heart, dear Lord, is cold and selfish. So
was the world when Thou earnest to it. But
what a change Thy coming made! Not all at
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THE WELCOME OF LOVE 287
once, but steadily, a marvellous transformation
came about. Thou hadst cast fire upon it, Thy
consuming love for God and man. And the
flame spread and is spreading, and all who are
Thine are called to feed and extend it. But
to warm other hearts our own must be aglow.
Warm mine, O Lord, by contact with Thine own !
Oblation and Petition , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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II
“Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus .” — Philip, ii.
before ffiomnwnfon.
A comprehensive desire and prayer, worthy of
St. Paul. Lord J esus, could it be fulfilled in me,
I would ask nothing more for myself in this life
or in the next. Could it be realised in those I
love, in those entrusted to me, in all Christians,
in all men — there would be nothing left for us to
desire. Could the whole human family, of which
Thou art the Head, live by Thy life and Thy
spirit, what more would there be to hope for — Thy
Will would be done on earth as it is in heaven :
Thy Kingdom would have come : the kingdom
of this world would have “ become our Lord’s and
His Christ’s ” ( Apoc. xi.).
Our work in life is to bring our mind and
heart, our inward dispositions and exterior
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THE WELCOME OF LOYE 289
actions, into conformity with those of Christ.
His predilections and aversions; His valuation
of the comforts, pleasures, honours, of this passing
life ; His judgments respecting poverty, persecu-
tion for justice* sake, meekness, mourning, deeds
of mercy, forgiveness of injuries ; His estimate
of the Cross in its many shapes, of treasure in
heaven that faileth not; His tenderness for the
little children and the weak things of this world,
for the outcast, and the fallen, and k the down-
trodden; His love for His sinless Mother; His
all-absorbing love of the Father, which, to use our
human language, was the ruling passion of His
Soul, which, when His Heart was fullest, freest,
heaviest* found vent in the most vehement words
of His sacred lips — all this is the translation to
us of the mind of Christ. Well might the great
Apostle who had so well “ learned Christ,” con-
tent himself with this one desire for the children
whom he had begotten in the Gospel : “ Let this
mind be in you which was in Christ J esus.”
Why should not this desire be realised in me
after Communion, after my frequent Com-
munions? For what does Christ come to me
if not for this? 0 Jesus, take from my mind
what has no place in Thine, and give me to live
by Thee !
Let me be united with Thee as love desires, in
thought, affection, will, abiding in Thee and Thou
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in me. Give me the strong purpose of over-
coming in myself all that is displeasing to Thee
and a hindrance to Thy love, and help me, for
without Thee I can do nothing. Destroy the
selfishness that crowds Thee out of my soul and
stifles whatever of generosity may be them
Make me ready for labour and for sacrifice in
Thy service, ready to give Thee gifts that cost.
Give me grace to shun all wilful offence of Thee ;
to desire and to choose what best pleases Thee ;
to love Thee with my whole mind, directing to
Thee all my thoughts, intentions, actions ; with
my whole heart, fixing on Thee all my affections,
seeking Thy glory, promoting Thy interests ; with
my whole soul and all its desires and aspirations;
with my whole strength. In a word, let Thy
mind be in me, O Lord !
%Lttuc Communion.
f * Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels, you that
are mighty in strength ” (Ps. cii.). “ Sing praises
to our God, sing ye ; sing praises to our King, sing
ye ” (Ps. xlvi.). M For this is God, our God unto
eternity, and for ever and ever ” (Ps. xlvii.) :
Who became incarnate for my sake :
Who was born in Bethlehem — for me :
Who grew up in the Home at Nazareth, and
was subject to His parents, and toiled at a trade :
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THE WELCOME OF LOVE 291
“Jesus, at whose Name every knee shall bow’*
(Philip, ii.).
“ Bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord "
(Ps. cxxxiii.). “O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us extol His Name together ” (Ps. xxxiii.).
For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for
ever and ever :
Who lived in a despised village for thirty years
— for me :
Who suffered hunger and thirst, and cold, and
weariness — for me :
Who went to and fro among men, gentle,
attractive, doing good to all :
Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
“ Come, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us
joyfully sing to God, our Saviour” (Ps. xciv.).
For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for
ever and ever :
Who gathered together the Twelve and founded
His Church — for me :
Who healed the blind, and the maimed, and
lepers, and every disease and every infirmity :
Who welcomed and absolved the outcast sinner :
Jesus, who came to seek and to save that which
was lost.
“Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to
Him, and His wonderful works to the children of
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*92
men 99 (Ps. cvi.). For this is God, our God unto
eternity, and for ever and ever :
Who for my sake became a worm and no man ;
Who loved me and delivered Himself for me
even to the death of the Cross :
Who rpse from the dead — for me :
Who stands at the right hand of the Father,
ever making intercession for me :
Who will be my reward exceeding great :
Jesus, yesterday, and to-day, and the same for
ever.
M Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name ” (Ps. cii.).
“ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Id.).
u Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power ” (Apoc. iv.).
Amen. Benediction and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii.).
Lord, I should love to make Thee loved! I
envy those who by the holiness of their life, the
influence of their example, the sweet tactfulness
of their ways, light up the fire of Thy love on
every side of their path through life. But why
should not this be the fruit of my Communions ?
Every branch, even the farthest and the feeblest*
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THE WELCOME OF LOYE 293
is vivified by the parent vine, and Thou hast
said : “ I am the vine, you the branches ; he that
abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth
much fruit.” There is no other condition. The
promise is not to mature sanctity, heroic self-
sacrifice, sublime heights of prayer, but to
abiding in Thee. But Thy words imply frequent
union ; a Communion at distant intervals is not
abiding. If I want to bear much fruit, if I want
to live by Thee, I must come to Thee often.
And in how many ways dost Thou urge upon
me this frequent reception :
“ Come to Me, all you that labour.”
“Come, eat My bread, and drink the wine #
that I have mingled for you.”
“You will not come to Me that you may have
life.”
“ Compel them to come in, that My house may
be full.”
“ Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
\nd drink His blood, you shall not have life in
you.”
Invitations, threats, reproaches — all pressed
into the service of love, all testifying to Thy
eagerness, O Divine Host ! Thou must see Thy
house full, Thy table crowded with guests. Are
we necessary, then, to Thy happiness? In a
sense, yes, for God is love.
Lord, I will come to Thee ; I have stayed away
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too long. I will come to Thee often that I may
live by Thee. Let my thoughts be the reflection
of Thine, my words the echo of Thine, my deeds
the continuation of Thine. Let my thoughts
about the events of this passing life be lofty like
Thine ; about the failings of others, tender and
compassionate like Thine ; about my own weak-
ness and misery, patient, hopeful of all things,
like Thine. As the vine vivifies the branch, as
the head gives life, and movement, and direction
to the least of the members, so be to me, Thy
last and least, the principle of spiritual life and
energy, that all my works may be done in and
by Thee, and may profit the souls whom Thou
lovest.
Oblation and Petition , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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III
“ I sought Him whom my soul lovetli.” — Cant. iiL
Before GDommunfon.
The first word of our catechism puts before us
the end of our creation, the one only reason for
which we were created and sent into this world —
God to know ; God to love and serve ; to know,
that I may be able to love and serve. This is my
business in life. It is for this life is given. And
when the time allotted me for this work has
run its course, the life that is lent me will be
called for again (Wisd. xv.).
Without this end, my life here is meaningless
and inexplicable. The powers of my soul, unless
I misdirect them, are ever tending to God.
Prayer, in which they all concur, is feeling for
Him in the night; seeking a way to His pres-
ence ; waiting at His door ; trying one entrance
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after another; hastening to where a ray of light
from the Throne room falling out on the darkness,
tells of a chink through which I may perchance
catch a glimpse of Him.
Oh, it is weary work, this waiting, and listen-
ing, this eagerness disappointed ! Harder still the
waiting and listening when eagerness has died
out and stern will alone continues the quest for
Him, or sits down dogged but uncomforted at
His door!
Weary work in truth, yet more contenting than
any happiness outside of God. For we are made
for Him, and a lifelong search is more satisfying
to the soul than the finding and possession of
aught that is not Himself.
In the Canticle of Canticles, the history of
love, we find this search depicted, with its dili-
gence, its disappointments, its questionings, its
perseverance, its final reward. 11 In the night
I sought Him whom my soul loveth, I sought
Him and found Him not. . . . Have you seen
Him whom my sotd loveth ? . . . When I had a
little passed by I found Him whom my soul
loveth, I found Him, and will not let Him go.”
(Cant. iii.). My Beloved to me and I to Him, till
the day break and the shadows retire (Cant, ii.).
So let me see Thee, Lord, through the night of
this life, watching, listening, questioning, where
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THE WELCOME OF LOVE 297
the beautiful things of the physical world, and
the events of daily life, and the inspirations of
grace are ready to reveal Thee to me. Give me
the eager heart, O Lord, from which, though
Thou mayst hide Thyself for a time, Thou wilt
not withhold Thyself at last. Remember Thou
hast said, “ Every one that asketh receiveth, and
he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him that
knocketh, it shall be opened.” I ask ; I seek ; I
knock. Open to me, not only the door of Thy
kingdom, but Thy arms and Thy hearty and say
to me — “ Come ! ”
after (Eotnmunfon.
“7 believe. Lord , and falling down he adored
Him? — John ix.
“ Lord, I believe, I adore.”
“ Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God 99
(John xi.).
“ My Lord and my God ” (John xx.).
u *What have I in heaven, and besides Thee
what do I desire upon earth. Thou art the God
of my heart and the God that is my portion for
ever ” (Ps. lxxii.).
“ Sing to the Lord, 0 ye His Saints ” (Ps. xxix.).
“ For who is God but the Lord, or who is God
but our God ? ” (Ps. xvii.).
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“ Let all Thy works, 0 Lord, praise Thee, and
let Thy Saints bless Thee (Ps. cxliv.).
Lord, teach me to love Thee. Draw me within
the circle of Thy attraction. Do for me what
Thou hast done for so many. There are hearts
that were once dull and irresponsive like mine,
hoping they loved, but conscious that in their
affection there was no spark of the glowing fire
that burned in the breast of Thy Saints. They
desired to love, to make Thee a return for
the infinite love wherewith Thou hadst loved
them. They prayed for this; prayed with diffi-
culty ; prayed against repugnance ; prayed coldly,
wearily — but prayed. Years came and went, and
still their dry, hard prayer went up to God.
Nothing came of it, no change, no greater facility,
no warmth in their relations with Him, no
greater ease in the sacrifices His service called
for. So it seemed. And still they prayed on,
little dreaming that the very perseverance of
their joyless prayer for love was love’s choicest
fruit: ‘ 1 Lord, teach me to love Thee; teach
me to love Thee.” Not yet was it safe for Him
to show them how truly they loved. Death
came, and they met Him for the first time, met
Him face to face. His arms were outstretched ;
His face was glowing ; His eye lit up at their
approach, and ere they could fall at His feet
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He had folded them to His heart. “Lord,
Thou knowest that I love Thee,” they had said
below, diffidently, as if fearing a disclaimer.
Now He shows them their love purified as gold
fire-tried. They see it, they recognise it now.
All Heaven bears witness to it and congratulates
them on their fidelity to Him, “whom having not
seen they loved” (Pet. i.). All Heaven rejoices
with them in their nearness to Him for all
eternity, in the eternal vision of Him, the eternal
embrace of Him that is the reward of earth’s
sorely-tried, suffering, yet clinging love.
Who would not be content to wait for reward
such as this ! Lord, I will wait as long as Thou
wiliest, and through any trial that Thou wiliest.
I will wait patiently, for if Thou delayest Thou
wilt surely come.
And Thou, dearest Lord, wilt be patient too.
Thou wilt wait for me, bearing with my sluggish-
ness, my selfishness, my trying ways. It will
not be for long. Life here will soon be done,
and then — Life everlasting ! Even in Purgatory
there will be the perfect fulfilling of the great
commandment. It will be Purgatory only because
it will keep me from Him whom I love. Heaven
will be Heaven because its first instant of revela-
tion of the King in His beauty will bring a
capacity for, and an endowment of, love such as I
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have never dreamed of here ; a love that will fill
to overflowing, absorb and satisfy through an
endless eternity the soul Thou hast made for
Thyself.
Oblation and Petition, p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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I
"Lord, he whom Thou lovest is sick ” — John xi
Before (fDotmmmfotu
How our Lord tries His friends, and how He
expects them to trust Him! He was beyond
the Jordan, in the place where John baptized,
when a messenger came from the sisters at
Bethany to tell Him of the sickness of their
brother: “Lord, he whom Thou lovest is sick.”
It was a trustful message, a mere representation
of their need, no request for Him to come to
them, still less any urgent solicitation. It was
trustful, and it was considerate. They only
reminded Him that the trouble concerned one
whom He loved.
The bearer of the tidings waited to see if our
Lord would return with him, and interrupt, as
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was His wont, His work of teaching to go to a
house of mourning. No. “When He had heard
therefore that he was sick, He still remained
in the same place two days.” We are not even
told of any message of comfort to the sisters. All
He said was : “ This sickness is not unto death,
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God
may be glorified by it.”
From Bethany to Perea was an eight hours*
journey, and the man must have been a day on
the road. Our Lord stayed yet two days in
Perea before returning to Judea, and on His
arrival found that Lazarus had been four days
in the grave. Consequently he must have died
soon after the departure of the messenger, and
would have been buried in about two hours.
What were the thoughts of Martha and Mary
as, barefoot and covered with their long black
veils, they sat on the ground bewailing their
dead after the manner of mourning among the
Jews? There was plenty of unhelpful sympathy.
For “many came to comfort them concerning
their brother,” and to express surprise that the
great Wonder-worker who showed Himself so
prodigal of His favours to strangers had been
unable to do anything for His friends. The
stricken sisters listened in silence. What could
they say? Their Lord had not come or taken
any notice of their trouble beyond the mysterious
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WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER 305
words that the sickness was not unto death ; and
temptation, always busy about those in sorrow,
whispered : This, then, was the great prophet in
whom they had put their trust. He did not
seem greatly concerned for them or to under-
stand much about the case. At the hour when
He said the sickness was not unto death, Lazarus
was already dead.
How did Martha and Mary meet the trial from
within and without? How did they keep up
each other’s trust? They could not fathom our
Lord’s words that this sickness was for the glory
of God, and that the Son of God might be glori-
fied by it. His ways were “past finding out.”
But they clung to Him in their desolation.
They thought of His tenderness in the past, and
over and over again kept repeating that if He
had been there Lazarus had not died. These
were the first words that came to their lips when
He came at last, and they threw themselves at
His feet. The loving reproach brought tears to
His eyes, though He knew the time was at hand
for Him to turn their sorrow into joy.
Now He need not have let them suffer so
sorely these four daya A word enabling them
to penetrate the meaning of His words on re-
ceiving their message would have been so easy.
Is any reason given why He left them for awhile
in their desolation ? Yes :
V
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“Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister
Mary, and Lazarus. When He had heard there-
fore that He was sick, He still remained in the
same place two days” (John xi.). An artificer
employs for his work the tools proper to it. For
the sanctification of souls God uses the instru-
ment by which the Author of their salvation wa*»
Himself perfected (Heb. ii.). His ways of deal-
ing with them are infinitely varied, but we find
none that has passed through life without its
cross. Nothing can supply the place of the
cross or do its work. Where it stays long and
is well received, it chastens, strengthens, en-
nobles. It gives a refinement, a spiritual per-
ception, a depth, a maturity, not found in souls
that have come but slightly under its discipline.
It is the cross that develops all the possibilities
of human nature. But wherever it is present^
God is there, watching to see that its pressure
is neither too heavy nor too prolonged. Our
Lord yearned for the moment when He might
go to comfort those whom He loved. There is an
eagerness in His words to the Twelve : “ Let us
go into Judea again. ... I am glad for your
sakes that I was not there, but let us go to him.”
“Let us go to him.” Say this to-day, dear
Lord, as Thou comest to me. I welcome Thee
to a sad heart, but one that clings to Thee in
its pain, accepts Thy Will, enters into Thy
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WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER 307
designs, trusts Thee to bring good out of this
as out of every trial. All things work together
unto good to them that love Thee. I love Thee ;
Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. I know
that the cross brings with it the opportunity of
showing a purer and more generous love. I
know that amid pain which entered into every
fibre of soul and body Thou didst prove Thy love
for me. Take my pain, my willing acceptance
of the cross that weighs upon me now, as proof
of my love. By the tenderness of Thy Heart,
by Thy tears over the grave of Lazarus, draw
me closer to Thee by this trial and by every
trial of my life.
“ Where have you laid him ? n
“ Lord, come and see.”
A friend must see and hear everything that
concerns us. Nothing is too insignificant for his
notice. Everything will go better for his advice.
If our orchids have won a prize, he must admire
them. If we have fallen out with a neighbour,
he must hear how it came about. If our hearts
are breaking over another grave, he must come
and see where we have laid him. “ I have
called you friends,” our Lord says to ua He
values the confidence that counts on His friend-
ship in the least affairs of everyday life as in its
crucial houra And he invites it. “ What are
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these discourses that you hold one with another
as you walk, and are sad V* •.»
It is hard to bring home to ourselves what He
must have been to those who during His life on
earth He called His friends, what it was to be
able to fall back on an affection that was omni-
potent, all-wise, unfailingly tender and provident.
With Him at hand no harm could come. Hence
the trustful word of Martha and Mary: “Lord,
if Thou hadst been here my brother had not died.”
He inspired a trust that no apparent rigour could
shake. If He seemed deaf to their prayers, He
had some good reason for refusal or delay; greater
good would come to them in the end. Whatever
came must be not good only bub best, if it was
His choice for them. And so disappointed hopes
brought no diminution of trust. It only meant
that He was going to help in some better way.
“ Lord, if Thou hadst been here my brother had
not died. But now also I know that whatsoever
Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.”
“ It is not good to take the bread from the
children, and cast it to the dogs,” was His
answer to the Canaanite who followed Him with
her imploring : “Lord, help me.” “Yea, Lord,”
she replied, and adroitly turned his objection into
a further plea for mercy.
Oh that we could count on Him as did the
friends of His life on earth! That we could
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learn to bring all our troubles to His feet. He
does not mind if our tale is one-sided ; if we give
our own faulty version only, bearing all over it
the unmistakable varnish of self-love. It is the
confidence He values, the outpouring that gives
Him the opportunity of infusing His own Spirit
into ours, 44 pouring in oil and wine,” the sooth-
ing and strengthening grace we need. We shall
never leave His feet without the soreness of our
wounds being to some extent allayed, the chafing
of our cross lessened, the will braced to follow
our Master with greater courage on the uphill
road.
Sftet dDammutumt.
44 Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the
throne— the throne of His glory in Heaven, the
throne here on earth of my poor heart.”
“ O ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise
and exalt Him above all for ever.”
44 Give praise to our God, all ye His servants :
and you that fear Him, little and great.”
“ O give thanks to the Lord, because He is good,
because His mercy endureth for ever.”
“And now , 0 Lord , think of me ” (Tobias iii.).
I come to Thee as the sisters of Bethany came
after their brother’s death. They had done all
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that lay in them to avert the blow. They had
used all human means ; they had prayed ; they
had waited patiently, looking for Thy help. And
the blow fell. Their hearts were crushed, but
there was no rebellion, no repining. They
wondered at Thy ways, but adored what they
could not fathom. They looked not to creatures
for consolation, but betook themselves to Thee,
and falling down at Thy feet poured out their
sad hearts in the same words ; “ Lord, if Thou
hadst been here my brother had not died.” They
knew that Thou art all-powerful, yet there is no
petition. Others came asking for miracles, and
their faith is rewarded. Martha and Mary, who
know Thee better than most, ask nothing. They
had taken their trouble meekly from Thy hand,
they lay it now at Thy feet, and look up into Thy
face and trust. This won more from Thee than
the most fervent prayer. And may we not say
that the like trust will win more from Thee now.
Nay, Lord, may we not believe that we in our
troubles have a claim upon Thee that Martha
and Mary had not. It was incomparably more
easy to trust Him, whom they knew and loved
as a personal Friend, than to rely on One whom
we have not seen as yet, whom we know by
hearsay, not face to face. And therefore the
merit will be greater. Where sense has no foot-
hold, faith needs to walk with firmer step, to
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cling more persistently to Thee. “ Because thou
hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast believed : blessed
are they who have not seen, and have believed.”
Blessed, dear Lord, by Thine own lips are those
who have not seen Thee, yet trust as Martha
and Mary trusted ; who bring their sorrow to
Thine altar, and leave it to Thee, the Hidden
God, to help when and as Thou wilt — by removing
the chalice from them, or by strengthening them
to drink it generously after Thee and for Thy
sake.
Oblation and Petition , , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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II
“ Give us help in trouble , for vain is the aid of
man.” — Ps, lix.
Before Communion.
Vain is the aid of man — not from want of
patience to hear, or effort to unravel, or sympathy
to appreciate difficulties, or kindness to seek and
suggest a remedy. Goodwill we find abundantly,
more than we have any right to expect. But
there are times and needs when it goes for very
little, how little we dare not show.
Yes, truly, vain is the aid of man. He alone
can bring true help in trouble who understands
us through and through — every fibre and fold of
our complex nature; every influence that has
been brought to bear upon it from the beginning ;
every response of will that has gone to the mould*
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ing of our character for better or for worse. Who
knows our immense possibilities for good and for
evil; the precise amount of guilt and of merit
attaching to our every thought, and word, and
deed, since we came to the use of reason. Who
sees the ignorance and frailty that enables Him
to find such abundant excuse for us; and the
goodwill He is so ready to magnify and reward.
Our bringing up He knows, and how home and
friends, reading, amusements, the conflicts, cares,
and sorrows of life have left their mark upon us.
He understands our peculiar temperament, and
estimates with perfect accuracy our strength and
our resources, our physical, moral, and spiritual
deficiencies. The pressure put upon spirits and
temper by the monotony of daily duties and the
rubs of daily life is known to Him, and the
heavier trial of anxiety for those we love. The
exact nature of our spiritual difficulties, and the
causes of phenomena and vicissitudes which are
altogether beyond our ken, are clear to Him.
How it comes to pass that darkness suddenly
overclouds our soul, as a fog drops upon the sea ;
why grace will bear us triumphantly through one
trial, and in another leave us to feel the effects of
our own weakness and insufficiency, is His secret,
who orders all things sweetly. He knows the
precise degree of grace here and of glory here-
after which He wills us to attain, and where
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we further His designs and where we thwart
them.
We watch the gnats at play on a summer
evening, but our eye cannot follow the intricacies
of their mazy dance. Not so is it with us and
the God who made us. Down every path we
wander from the cradle to the grave, through all
the network of manifold and conflicting influences
under which we come, His eye follows us with
unwearying interest, and a solicitude unimagin-
able in its tenderness. Whatever sways us from
without, whatever charms or chafes, the complex
processes of thought, the play of imagination, the
ebb and flow of passion, the deliberate acts of
choice — all the crossing and recrossing and seem*
ing tangle of the threads of life, stands out before
Him clear and distinct, with its bearing on the
destiny evolved therefrom by the action of our
will, in the exercise of its dread but glorious
prerogative of freedom.
Oh, surely, we may turn with confidence to
such a One as this ! For He is not Creator only,
though this were sweet enough, but Father and
Friend. He not only knows, but feels, and loves,
and provides. If He lets the goodwill of those
about us fail so signally to bring us help in
trouble, it is that we may be driven into His
open arms and folded to His breast. He needs
none to disclose to Him the secrets of hearts, for
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WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER 315
He knows what is in man. He hath set His eye
upon otir hearts (Ecclus. xvii.), and every heart is
understood by Him (Ecclus. xvi.).
Musicians strain and snap at times the strings
of their instruments. They overestimate their
capabilities and their power of resistance. But
the far more delicate instrument of the human
soul has never yet been strained beyond en-
durance by the hand of its Creator. He knows
it through and through, its powers, its limitations,
its every vibration of joy and pain. He who will
not break the bruised reed has never riven the
living fibres of “the harps of God ” (Apoc. xv.).
Nay more. He never puts them to any tension
except to bring them into harmony for the
heavenly concert with which they are to mingle,
the eternal Magnificat in which each has its
appointed part. Do we want to be left out ? Do
we refuse our training? Are we going to be
rebellious beneath His touch, or find it too exact-
ing or too prolonged ? Do we want to be flung
aside where there is never-ending discord, “no
order, but everlasting horror ” (Job x.) ?
My God, I give myself up into Thy hands.
Oh, if I knew for what Thou hast created this
soul of mine, what melody Thou canst draw from
this work of Thy hands, with what trembling
ecstasy should I surrender myself to Thee to be
prepared for the part I am to take in the hymn
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of praise which creation is to sing to Thee when
time is done !
after Communion.
“Blessed be the Lord for this day” (3
Kings v.).
“ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee ” (Ps. cii.).
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants :
and you that fear him, little and great ”
(Apoc. xix.).
“ Praise ye the Lord, for He is good ; sing ye
to His Name, for it is sweet ” (Ps. cxxxiv.).
“For He hath satisfied the empty soul, and
hath filled the hungry soul with good things”
(Ps. cvi.).
“ Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power” (Apoc. iv.).
“ Amen. Benediction, and glory, and thanks-
giving, honour, and power, and strength to our
God for ever and ever. Amen ” (Apoc. vii).
Lord, come to me to-day to teach me how to
take all things straight from Thy hand, not
bemoaning myself, not blaming others when
trouble comes. This is what the world does.
This is its way of taking what it calls failure and
misfortune. But Thy servants look at things
from a higher standpoint. They know that He
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who created them out of love, and in His love has
prepared for them an eternity of delights without
one pang, or hitch, or disappointment to over-
cloud their happiness, expects them to trust Him
in the little sorrows of this short life which will
be gone directly. He wants them — not to like
always what He sends — their Lord Himself did
not do this, but to take it as training, sensibly
and bravely, knowing it is to fit them for that
life before the Throne of God, whose joy eye has
not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man
conceived.
“ Remember that thou knowest not His work
. . . every one behold eth afar off ” (Job xxxvi.).
We do not, we cannot, see and understand
clearly the inscrutable ways of God! But we
have His promise : “ What I do thou knowest
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.” Faith
and hope have so short a time assigned them
in which to glorify Him, that there should be
no waste, or faltering in their service. Of the
three theological virtues, hope is the worst treated.
We take ourselves to task for faults against faith
and charity, but against hope we offend con-
tinually and without the smallest scruple. Yet
it is enjoined us no less than the others. And it
is the outcome of the other two. If faith and
charity are what they should be, hope will be
bright and strong. Firm belief and fervent love
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beget hope, as blue and yellow blending in the
rainbow produce the tender green.
Can I be mistrustful of a love that dates from
eternity ? Can I fear harm in the shelter of the
everlasting arms ? Shall I be querulous or
anxious when my Father’s ways are “past finding
out,” or doubt the tenderness of Him who will
have mercy more than a mother (Ecclus. iv.) ?
All comes straight from God to me , always ,
alicays, always ; and if I like I may leave out the
human element altogether .
All comes — therefore these very things that try
me so — this special cross — this peculiar difficulty
— these singularly perplexing circumstances — alL
Comes straight — no person or event intervening
to divert things from their right course — but all
straight from God.
From God — who knows me thoroughly — my
wants — my desires — my need of purification —
His designs over me — from God, my Father and
the tenderest of Fathers.
To me — His child, weak, sensitive, frightened,
able to bear so little — yet desiring to please Him,
to satisfy Him, to conform my will to His, to re-
turn Him love for love.
Always , always, always — therefore this morn-
ing, this afternoon — in spite of circumstances
which would seem to indicate that just this
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WELCOME OF A CROSS-BEARER 319
one thing could not have come from Him —
always , always: “ To them that love God all
things work together unto good” (Rom. viii.).
How can I get out of that ?
And if I like — of course I like ! How should I
not like the truth — like to see God wherever He
is ; however, He hides Himself ; under any
disguise, however unlikely or repulsive ! Where-
ever He appears, amid the glories of Thabor,
across the sea in the misty morning, love is
quick to recognise Him and to cry : Dominus
est I It is the Lord !
I may leave out the human element — oh, it is
this that hurts! Like Peter on the stormy
waves, we turn our eyes from Jesus to look at
creatures, and trouble comes in at once, and we
begin to sink. It is the human element that is the
hardest part of most trials. Then why look at it ?
Why not leave it out of count, as I may do with
perfect truth ? A wife who gets a message from
her husband does not stop to consider the
messenger. Neither must I stop at means ; the
instrument is nothing to me. The notice of Him
whom I love, the word that comes to me from
Him, the desire to carry out His Will, absorbs me
completely: Dominus est l It is the Lord!
Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do 1 ?
O Lord my God, give me the unclouded faith that
sees Thee and Thee alone in all that befalls me—
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in all events ; in all joys and sorrows ; in health
and in sickness; in success and in failure; in
evil report and good report ; in accidents, in dis-
appointments, in weariness, in consolation, in
interior trials. And give me not only light to see
Thee, but love to embrace Thee, always and
everywhere, my First Beginning and my Last
End, my Lord and my God !
Oblation and Petition , p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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III
“ Come to Me all you that labour and are burdened ,
and I will refresh you ” — Matt, xi.
Before (Communion.
“ Come ” — Is it an invitation or a command ?
Both. It is an invitation, for our Lord’s way is
ever to attract rather than to compel. And it is a
precept, for “ Except you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink His blood, you shall not have
life in you ” (John vl).
“ Come to Me ” — He does not send the hungry
away fasting as the Apostles would have done, when
five thousand men, besides women and children,
followed Him into the desert. “They have no
need to go,” He said. And He gathered them
round Him, and fed them from His own hand,
and sent them home refreshed and happy.
3 2X X
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“ Come to Me all 99 — lest in my perversity 1
should deem myself exempted or excluded. But
His invitation and His precept admit of no
exception. " Come all.”
“ Come to One who knows you through and
through; who sees where and how the burden
presses ; where are the weak places in your soul ;
who discerns every effort and every desire;
follows with loving interest every struggle, and
often and often finds even in failure more to pity
than to blame.
“ Come to Me that I may help you, that I may
guide and strengthen your hands, that I may lift
your burden from you or lighten by sharing it,
that I may show you the likeness to Me that it
is working out in your soul, the reward it is
meriting.
“ Come to Me that I may make over to you My
treasures ; My likes and dislikes, to be the rule of
yours ; My peace that the world can neither give
nor take away ; My love that is compensation for
the loss of all beside.
“ Come to Me that I may comfort you in your
anxiety for those you love. There is no pain in
which I can give you fuller sympathy. c I also have
a heart like you 9 (Job xii.). I know what it is to
see evil influences telling, the will weakening, the
heart growing callous, the forces of the spiritual
life losing their power to check and to charm.
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“ Come to Me with confidence, for I am one of
your race. I took a human Heart that I might
know by my own experience what you have to
suffer, and be able to give you that sympathy
which a fellow-sufferer alone can give. The sting
of injustice and ingratitude I have felt, and the
agony of love powerless to save its best beloved.
All that is bitterest in human sorrow I chose to
feel, that I might draw to Myself by fellow-
feeling every sorrowing heart,
“ There are times when pent-up pain is stifling
your soul. Come in those hours to Me. Un-
burden yourself before Me. Say all, and say it
freely. The vehemence of expostulation is under-
stood by Me. No fear of angering by intemperate
words One who beholds the agony of the soul.
Without check, without rebuke, it may pour
itself out before the all-loving Creator, whose
infinite compassion has the added tenderness of
His perfect human Heart. I remember the
night of the Agony in Gethsemane, when the
sorrows as well as the sins of My brethren were
laid upon Me. I remember the strong cry and
tears of my supplication. I take up and make
My own, the cry, the broken prayer, of every
sufferer, and set it before the Father with the
pleading merits of My Passion. I will always
hear. I will always help. The help shall be
release from pain if this is best for you. If I
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see, what you too will see some day, that fitter
answer to prayer will be courage and strength,
in that form your help shall come. O child, do
not deprive yourself of what I can do for you in
your hours of lonely trial. Come to Me and
learn by your own experience the resource you
have in My Heart !
“ Come to Me above all when the sense of sin
oppresses you. It is a force that must impel you
to Me, or from Me. What I want is that it
should drive you into My arms. How is it that
you fly from Me when you need Me most? That
you think your faithlessness or your ingratitude
should have so estranged Me or changed the re-
lations between us as to make Me less your Father
than before ? When you sin you are still Mine
(Wisd. xv.). When by mortal sin a soul severs
itself from Me as far as in it lies, it has not
thereby made Me its enemy as men understand
the word. They wish evil to their friend of an
hour ago. They close their heart against him.
They shrink from reconciliation. Nothing of this
has place in Me. In the instant of his rejection
of Me My arms are flung open to receive him
again. My Heart is ready to restore all he has
lost, to cherish, and trust, and bless as before.
And this not once only, but as often as he needs
and wills, not after one fall only, but after seventy
times seven. I have loved you with an ever-
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lasting love, a love that is persistent, patient,
hoping all things. Come to Me after your falls,
and I will make all right again. Come for the
strength and the comfort you need. Come for the
embrace and the kiss that are waiting for you.
Come to Me quickly, if not to content your love,
to satisfy Mine.”
after Communion.
“ Bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord 99
(Ps. cxxxiii.).
“ Exalt ye the Lord our God ” (Ps. xcviii.).
“ Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels 99 (Ps. cii.)
“ Give glory to the Lord, for He is good ” (Ps.
cvi.).
<( Adore the Lord our God, and give thanks to
Him ” (Tobias xi.).
“ Adore the Lord my God 99 (Dan. xiv.).
“Bless the Lord, for He hath shown His
wonderful mercy to me ” (Ps. xxx.).
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour 99 (Luke i.).
“ Because He that is mighty hath done great
things to me, and holy is His Name ” (Id.).
“ What shall I offer to the Lord that is worthy f
Wherewith shall I kneel before the high God?”
(Micheas vi.).
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“Give to the most High according to what He
hath given to thee ” (Ecclus. xxxv.).
Lord, Thou hast given me Thyself. I return
Thee Thyself in thanksgiving for Thy unspeakable
Gift. Thou hast given me Thy cross. I bring
it to Thee to be blessed and sanctified by Thy
Presence.
My cross is all that goes against self ; all that
it costs to reduce self ; to bring self into con-
formity with Thy Will ; whatever goes counter to
my liking in companions, duties, the way things
fall out* the way things are done.
Is it more than this ? Is my cross one of those
heavy, lifelong, sanctifying trials that make each
day a Way of the Cross? Lord, Thou knowest.
Behold, O Lord, Thou hast known all things . . .
my path and my line Thou hast searched out ;
Thou hast foreseen all my ways (Ps. cxxxviii.).
Thou art my God, my lots are in Thy hands
(Ps. xxx.). There let my will be too. Teach me
to see as Thou seest ; to take a right view of the
cross in whatever shape it comes to me. This
alone would set right my outlook on life. I
know that suffering must come to us all. I
believe that it comes by Thy Will or permission,
and that it is laden with good to those who love
Thee. But I want much more than this. I want
to realise what I believe. I want to be intimately
convinced that suffering is not what the world
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takes it to be — an evil, but a treasure in which
those nearest and dearest to Thee have the
largest share. In the lives of the Saints I see
plainly that this is so. But to appreciate the
value of the cross in my own life is a different
matter. Let me understand as they did the good
hidden in the cross. It does not sanctify all
whom it touches. There are many whom it
drives from Thee. Lord, let it do for me what
it has done for all Thy holy ones. Let it teach
me that we are wayfarers here on earth, having
here no lasting city. And let it draw me to
Thee. Those who were attracted to Thee during
Thy life on earth were not the strong and the suc-
cessful, but those in sorrow either on their own
account or for those they loved. Among the
suffering we always find Thee. Whilst all pros-
pers with us we are apt to forget Thee, Lord.
But a reverse, a humiliation comes, creatures
fail us, and at once we betake ourselves to
the Creator who is so kind that He does
not reject us even then. My God, let every
trial draw me closer and closer to Thee.
Let it bring out Thy likeness in my soul, as the
sculptor’s mallet and file and chisel bring beauty
out of the shapeless marble and realise his ideal
at last. The work cannot be done without suffer-
ing. Lord, strengthen me to suffer. Take from
me the excessive fear of everything that brings
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me pain. Help me to welcome pain as a means of
expiating past sins, as giving me compassion for
others — above all, as likening me to Thee, my
Master, and enabling me to prove my love to
Thee. Thy sensitive Body and Soul have sounded
all the depths of human sorrow that Thou might-
est be able to feel for us in every pain of body
and mind. Unite my little pains with Thine
that they may merit an eternal reward, the
reward of special nearness to Thee in Thy King,
dom when life is done.
Oblation and Petition , p. 87.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“ Though I should walk in the midst of the shadow
of death I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me”
. — Ps. xxii.
Before Communion.
The Last Welcome! When will it be, and
Where, and how? All this is hidden from me.
But what is certain is that it will be soon . No
matter how many Communions there may be
between this and my last, that last will come
soon.
How fast the years speed by! How quickly
the Easter Communions come round, and the
First Fridays, and His visits on the great Feasts !
Each strengthens my union with our Lord by
fresh degrees of sanctifying grace, and confers
a right to a closer union with Him hereafter.
Each is a safeguard in dangers to soul and body
of which I shall know nothing in this life. Each
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gives me a title to the guidance and the strength
daily needs require, and to the special assistance
necessary in critical hours. By each reception
of the divine Food, our Lord verifies more _ and
more fully His promise : “ He that eats Me shab
live by Me.” By each I grow more and more
into His likeness.
This is what I owe to the Communions of my
life. But what will the last do for me ? O my
Lord, how much I count upon Thy last visit !
How I shall need Thee to shield and support me,
to prepare me for the end ! But I must do my
part now. I provide as far as may be for the
great events of life ; must I not bring prepara-
tion to the supreme act which can never be
repeated, on which all depends? It is the
greatest mistake to suppose that the mere fact
of death being at hand will rouse me to extra
exertion. The effect of the warning will be more
than counterbalanced by the pain and weakness
and weariness of that time. To do as well as
usual and what is necessary, will be all I shall be
fit for. God grant that doing as well as usual
in the way of preparation for the Sacraments may
be all that is necessary and more ! Some people
count on a long process of preparation — a general
confession, and what not. Much better to get
all done beforehand. I may have a long illness ;
I may have none. Death may come in a railway
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accident, a fire, without a moment’s warning. I
must run no risk. I must make all secure now.
I will leave nothing to be said when I come to
die. Each time I leave the confessional it shall
be with the humble confidence that if my call
were to come then, I should be ready. My God,
surely there will be enough in the present and
the future to tax my failing powers, without
having to go back upon the past to rectify what I
have deliberately postponed to the hour of death 1
How should I in the anguish and prostration of
that time be capable of an effort I was unwilling
to make in the days of my strength? I must
not count on time or will, or anything except the
mercy of God and the habits of life which will
stand me in good stead then. For my last con-
fession I shall want contrition, strong, humble,
trusting. I must prepare it now by dwelling
thoughtfully on the motives for sorrow; that
when I come to die, the sight of the crucifix, a
suggested word, may awaken the sol row that is
in my heart always. It is in the ho\ r of death
that God rewards the habits of life. If I am
earnest now in prayer for contrition and in
making use of the motives that lead to it, He
will come to the help of my weakness then, and
give me for my last sacramental absolution a
sorrow that will not only purify my soul from
guilt, but go far to cancel the debt of punishment*
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WELCOME !
My God, who art coming to me now, give me
true grief of heart for everything in my life by
which I have offended Thee. Let it be that
perfect sorrow which grieves for having sinned
against a God so good in Himself and so in-
finitely worthy of love. And make it perfect,
not in kind only but in degree, that its effect
may be not remission of guilt only but of the
pain sin has deserved. There is no grace I ask
more earnestly than this — an abiding sorrow for
sin. Remember, Lord, Thy promise that he who
asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him
that knocks it shall be opened. I ask, I seek, I
beg with all the fervour of my soul. I ask it
for every hour of my life ; I ask it above all for
the hour of my death.
I trust, my God, that thou hast in store for me
that merciful Sacrament which is the perfection
of the Sacrament of Penance, that Last Anoint-
ing which will purify my soul from the remains
of sin and heal the wounds and weakness sin has
left. Give me by Extreme Unction the strength,
the patience, the trust in Thee which I shall
need in the hour of my death. Let it comfort
me by lessening my fear of death, my sorrow at
leaving friends, my dread of the eternity on
which I am entering, and the account I have to
give. Let it curb the power of the enemy, and
enable me to merit greatly by the cheerful
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acceptance of Thy Will in all my pains of body
and mind. I put my trust, dear Lord, in the
prayers of Thy Church for me at that hour.
That I may profit by them to the full, I will
become familiar with them now. So will their
sound be welcome at the last, and as She prays
Thee by the holy anointing and by Thy most
tender mercy to forgive all I have done ill by the
misuse of sight, and hearing, of smell, and taste,
and touch, my soul will be roused to intelligent
response. How much they miss who hear these
prayers for the first time when they come to
die, who have never troubled to learn what the
Church will ask for them in their hour of direst
need!
And then will come my Viaticum. There is
sweetness, Lord, in all Thy Eucharistic names,
but a special tenderness belongs to this. How
loving has been Thy solicitude, how abundant
Thy provision for those last hours of life on
which eternity dependa Sacraments and holy
rites fen the deathbed round on every side.
And to crown all, Thou comest Thyself and
under a new name, the more to arouse our atten-
tion, and excite confiding love. Oh, as we lie
there on our bed of death, what a pathway of
light and grace shall we see stretching back from
this Last Communion to the First one long ago !
Come Thou with Thy servants ” (4 Kings vi.)
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was our invitation on that bright morning when
we prayed Him to be our Companion along the
journey of life. “ He answered : I will come.
So He went with them ” (4 Kings vi.).
And He has been our faithful Friend and ally
all along the road. He has known us under
every variety of circumstance. We have wel-
comed Him as our mood or need suggested, and
like a true friend He has fallen in with the exi-
gencies of the hour. As sinners creeping to Him
with our burden, as suppliants with our need and
our prayer, as hosts mindful of what was His due
rather than of our own necessity — thus have we
welcomed Him times without number in the
Communions of our life. And now the end has
come. It is our Last Welcome, summing up ah
that has gone before. We must meet Him
shamefaced and contrite, for now more than ever
we want forgiveness and mercy. We must be
earnest in supplication, for the moment of our
supreme need is at hand. We must exert our-
selves to show Him in His last visit such
hospitality as our failing powers will allow.
Our varied welcomes will commingle in this last
reception beneath the veils, which is to herald
the face-to-face vision of Himself that will have
an eternal thanksgiving.
Lord, let me rehearse to-day for that hour.
Let me win now for my last Communion such
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grace that, despite weariness and pain, it may be
a welcome indeed.
I believe most firmly that in this Sacra-
ment is truly present Jesus Christ, the only-
begotten Son of God. Who for us men, and for
our salvation, came down from Heaven, and was
incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man. In this faith I desire to
live and to die. Lord, I believe ; increase my faith.
I hope, 0 my Saviour, in that mercy which
brought Thee down from Heaven for me ; which
has followed me unweariedly throughout my life ;
which has forgiven me so often ; which will con-
tinue with me to the end. Yes, my God, in spite
of sins, and shabbiness with Thee, of waste of
time and grace and opportunities, of neglect of
responsibilities, of wrong-doing harmful to the
souls whom Thou lovest — in spite of shortcomings
of every kind, I hope in Thee, I cling to Thee, I
abandon myself to Thee unreservedly for time
and for eternity. I know in whom I have
believed, and I am certain that He is able to
keep that which I have committed to Him. In
Thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped, and I shall never be
confounded.
I love Thee, Lord ; Thou knowest that I love
Thee. Love is shown by a communication of
goods. Thou hast given me all Thou hast in
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giving me Thyself. I offer and restore to Thee
all the gifts I have received from Thy hand. I
make over to Thee now and for the hour of my
death my immortal soul, which Thou hast loved so
dearly as to purchase it at the price of Thy blood
and life. 0 dearest Lord, I love and thank
Thee for this Thy infinite love ; for all Thou hast
done for us in Thy suffering life and cruel death ;
for Thy Church, Thy Sacraments, Thy promises,
and above all, for the unspeakable Gift of Thy
Real Presence. I love Thee, not only for what
Thou hast given and promised, but for what Thou
art. I desire to love Thee as Thou deservest to be
loved. Increase Thy love in my heart every
hour of my life, that I may love Thee in eternity
with the whole strength of my whole being,
according to Thy desire and mine.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive Thee under
my roof. Give me now and for the hour of my
death a deep sense of my unworthiness. But let
it be true humility with no tincture of discourage-
ment. The less I find in myself on which to
rely, the more absolutely will I cast myself on
Thy mercy and Thy love.
I desire to receive Thee to-day, dear Lord, and
to give Thee the most loving of welcomes. Give
me for my last Communion such faith and fer-
vent desire, that it may rouse my soul from the
apathy which numbs the powers and affections at
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the approach of death. Now and for the hour of
my death I invite Thee to my poor heart, uniting
my desires to the longing of Thy loving Heart*
which desires with desire to give itself to me.
Come, Lord Jesus !
Show me Thy face, and let Thy voice sound in
mine ears.
As the hart panteth for the waterbrooks, so
panteth my soul for Thee, O God.
For what have I in Heaven, and besides Thee
what do I desire upon earth.
Come, Lord, and do not delay.
u Behold, I come quickly.”
Even so, come, Lord Jesus !
after Communion,
" My God and my Saviour 99 (Ps. lxi.).
“ What have I in Heaven, and besides Thee
what do I desire upon earth ? Thou art the God
of my heart, and the God that is my portion for
ever ” (Ps. lxxii.).
Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name 99 (Ps. cii.).
" Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and never forget
all He hath done for thee 99 (Id.).
“ It is good for me to adhere to my God 99
(Ps. lxxii.).
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“ My God is my Helper, in Him will I put my
trust ” (Ps. xvii.).
“ And now, O Lord, do with me according to
Thy will ” (Tobias iii.).
“ Protect me under the shadow of Thy wings n
(Ps. xvi.).
“ Show forth Thy wonderful mercies, Thou
who savest them that trust in Thee ” (Ps. xvi.).
“ O Lord, my Helper and my Redeemer *
(Ps. xviii.).
“ The day of Thy inspection, Thy visitation
cometh ” (Micheas vii.).
My God, these words terrify me, for I know my
iniquity, and my sin is always before me. I know
that Thine eyes see my imperfect being ; and if
Thou shalt mark iniquity, Lord, who shall stand it %
ic Be quiet, fear not, and let not thy heart be
afraid ” (Isa. vii.). “I will have mercy on thee
more than a mother ” (Ecclus. iv.).
Lord, I fear, not my past sins only, but the
rage of my enemy, who will “ come down upon
me having great wrath, knowing that he hath but
a short time ” ( Apoc. xii.).
“ Fear not, neither be troubled. ... Is there
a God besides Me?” (Isa. xliv.). € * Fear not
because of him of whom you are greatly afraid :
fear him not, for I am with you to save you and
to deliver you from his hand ” (Jer. xlii.).
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Lord, I fear the temptations of that time,
the assaults and perils that await my hour of
weakness.
" Be not afraid at their presence, for I am
with thee to deliver thee” (Jer. i.). “ The Lord
thy God will fight for thee ” (Deut. iii.).
Lord, I fear the loneliness of that hour, for I
must go down alone into the dark valley of the
shadow of death : no friend may follow me ; my
need and my cry none will know.
“ Abide thou with me ; fear not” (1 Kings xxii.),
“Thou shalt know that the Lord thy God is a
strong and faithful God ” (Deut. vii.). “ The
friend that will abide with thee in the day of thy
trouble ” (Ecclus. vi.). “A friend steadfast”
(Ecclus. vi.). “ A strong defence ” (Ecclus. xiv.).
I know, O Lord, in whom I have believed, and
I' am certain that He is able to keep that which
I have committed to Him. But I fear lest in the
last combat my hold on Thee should relax, and I
should fall from Thee and perish.
“ Underneath are the everlasting arms. Fear
thou not, My servant . . . neither be dismayed . . .
for I will save thee . . . for I am with thee to
save thee ” (Deut. xxxiii.).
Lord, the time for mercy ends with this life.
It is as Judge Thou wilt meet me when I
appear before Thee, and I am afraid.
“ Let not your heart be troubled, and let it not
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fear'* (John xiv.). “ It is I” (Matt. xiv.). “Whom
having not seen you love, in whom . . . you be-
lieve, and believing shall rejoice with joy unspeak-
able” (i Pet. i.). “I have loved thee with an
everlasting love ” ( J er. xxxi. ). “ I have called thee
by thy name, thou art mine” (Isa. xiv.). “ I am
the Lord and I change not” (Malach. iv.). “ Fear
not. It is I ” (John vi.). “ Jesus Christ, yester-
day, to-day, and the same for ever ” (Heb. xiii.).
“ The Lord is my light and my salvation,
whom shall I fear ? The Lord is the protector of
my life, of whom shall I be afraid ? ” (Ps. xxvi.).
“ If armies in camp should stand together
against me, my heart shall not fear 99 (Ps. xxvi.).
“Why shall I fear in the evil day?” (Ps.
xlviii.).
“ Behold, God is my Saviour, I will deal confi-
dently, and will not fear 99 (Isa. xii.).
“Though I should walk in the midst of the
shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art
with me " (Ps. xxii.).
“The Lord is my light . . • He will bring me
forth into the light ” (Mich. vii.).
“ I will look towards the Lord, I will wait for
God my Saviour 99 {Id.).
Oblation and Petition , p. io.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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“In an accepted time have I heard thee , and in
the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold
now is the acceptable time : behold now is the dap of
salvation? — 2 Cor. vi.
Before Communion.
I look up from my place in Purgatory to the
altar rails where I knelt in life, to the place
where I made my thanksgiving after Communion.
I look back to the moments spent there which per-
haps seemed long. Oh for one quarter of an hour
now of that “ acceptable time ” ! Oh to have back
one of those 11 days of salvation ” ! I realise now
to some extent the awful sanctity of God, the
frightfulness of sin, the justice of the penalty it
entaila Above all, I feel the irresistible attrac-
tion of that Beauty of which I had a glimpse at
Judgment. I am drawn to it with a vehemence
mi
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which carries with it my whole being, and flings
me upon God as the wave upon the shore. And
I am driven back incessantly, for I am not yet
ready for the embrace of the All-Holy. The
results of sin that might so easily have been
thrown off on earth, have to be burnt away here,
slowly, painfully, unaided by the least effort on
my part. I cry out in my agony : “ My God,
my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? To the
work of Thy hand stretch out Thy right hand ! ”
And He answers me : “ In an accepted time I
heard thee, and in the day of salvation I helped
thee. Oh that thou hadst known in that day of
thine the things that were for thy peace. But
thou hast not laid these things to thy heart,
neither hast thou remembered thy last end.
Behold the night is come, in which no man can
work. Amen, I say to thee, thou canst not go
hence till thou hast paid the last farthing.”
How shall I then bewail with unavailing sorrow
my neglect of the Treasure provided for me in my
Communions wherewith to pay my debts 1 My
Creditor was with me, offering me, nay, pressing
upon me, His infinite satisfactions to supply all my
need : “ You that have no money, come, buy
without money and without any price ” (Isa. lv.)
He knows the need I shall have of Him as soon
as life here is done. He knows that what we call
need at present does not deserve the name ; that
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real need begins in the prisons of the next life,
where the soul pines for God with a hunger and
thirst ot which no craving here can give us the
faintest conception. There will be a hunger, too,
in His Sacred Heart. They were made for each,
other, His Heart and mine. “ I will draw them
with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love "
(Osee xi.). And once the counter-attraction of
earth falls away, I shall respond to His drawing
with the whole force of my being. Why must I
keep Him waiting ? Why not use now the riches
He places at my disposal ? Why not profit by His
Presence within my heart to place my cause before
Him, to propitiate Him while there is time, while
we are together in the way? (Matt. v.).
And why not use my nearness to Him in
this life to secure from Him an ever-increasing
nearness in eternity and for eternity ! How
many further degrees of grace are the fruit of
one Communion ! And to every such degree of
grace corresponds a degree of glory, enabling me
to know Him better, love Him more, enjoy Him
more fully — and that for ever !
“Behold now is the acceptable time, behold
now is the day of salvation.” Lord Jesus, grant
me grace to know in this my day the things that
are for my peace !
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after (Eonttmmton.
“ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts ! 99
“ Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“ ThQu art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive
glory, and honour, and power ” (Apoc. iv.).
And therefore with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the
heavenly army, we sing a hymn to Thy glory
saying : “ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed is He that cometh in the
Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
“ Now is the acceptable time , now is the day of
salvation ” (2 Cor. vi.).
My Communion Days! O Lord, give me
wisdom to use them as I ought. Let Thy close
companionship then, effect a union that shall
subsist when Thy actual Presence is withdrawn,
a union growing ever more real, more intimate,
more affectionate, resulting in a gradual merging
of all my interests and desires in Thine. Let
the love of self give place to the love of Thee,
self-seeking to a loyal devotion to Thy Will. Let
me search for Thy Will when it is hidden ; be
quick to see it when it manifests itself ; embrace
it and adhere to it, even when it brings me pain ;
rest in it calm and trustful as the bird in its
nest. Only thus, Lord, can there be real union
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between us. And what above all imports is that
our relations should be real. There must be no
fiction, no shamming, everything must be real
between myself and Thee. Life, the soul,
eternity, are realities confronting me at every
turn. I must face them, and I cannot, I dare
not face them alone. As I go on my way my
hand must be locked in Thine ; my eyes must be
fixed on Thee ; my feet must follow Thy lead.
I must be perfectly true with Thee; my inter-
course with Thee must be honest and direct.
Thou knowest all that is within me because Thou
art my God; because Thou art my Father and
my Friend, Thou shalt know it too from myself.
There shall be no consciously crooked dealings
with Thee; no corners curtained off from Thy
sight; no subjects on which it is understood we
do not trench. But I will be straightforward
with Thee as far as I know myself. If I am
mean, selfish, crafty even, I will own to it, at
least with Thee. If I am rebellious or cowardly,
half-hearted, mistrustful of Thee, Thou shalt hear
it all from myself. I will lay bare my heart
before Thee that all may be open to Thy sight.
I am not afraid that Thine eyes should see my
imperfect being (Ps. cxxxviii.), but only that
there should be any wilful insincerity, any con-
scious reserve to check the free flow of my heart,
O Father, into Thine.
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As I may rehearse for the hour of my death ;
as I may see myself already amid the penal fires ;
so I may hear Mass sometimes from within the
veil. I may anticipate a little, and from my
place in Heaven look down upon the familiar altar
whence I so often watch the Sacrifice going up to
God. I notice how the act done there rivets the
attention of those who live in the full blaze of
the unveiled Vision of God ; how that white
Host attracts the gaze of the whole Church,
Triumphant, Suffering, Militant, making all one.
The Blessed look down upon It with adoring love ;
the wistful eyes in Purgatory turn to It in hope ;
the faithful on earth look up to It as It is raised
above their heads, and bow down before the
Lamb, “ standing as it were slain.”
I see the water of life flowing on every side
from the earthly throne of the Lamb. It mounts
into Heaven and makes glad the City of God.
It flows with a strong stream through the arid
land of patient pain, and refreshes the sufferers
who know at last what the Sacrifice of the altar
might have been to them in life, what It might
have spared them after death. North and south,
east and west, that river traverses the earth,
brightening, fertilising on every hand, bringing
forth such abundant fruit for God’s glory that even
now in a measure “ the kingdom of this world is
become our Lord’s and His Christ’s ” (Apoc. xi.).
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All this I see from my place in Heaven. I
see how from the altar where I heard Mass — alas,
how distractedly ! — the whole Church is vivified
and enriched. I see what a more frequent and
fervent assistance at that altar in the days of my
life would have done for my soul and for those
who are dear to me as my souL . . .
And then I remember with gratitude and
great joy that those days are still with me.
" The acceptable time ” is not past. I may kneel
before that altar still. As with the eyes of
faith I see above me “the great cloud of wit-
nesses ” ; as with Angels and Archangels and all
the host of Heaven I join in suppliant confes-
sion ; as I hear the plaintive cry of the captive
souls, and my heart thrills with the needs' and
sorrows of the Church on earth, I understand
her termination of all her prayers : “ Through
our Lord Jesus Christ.” I gain a fuller apprecia-
tion of the Victim of our altars, the Guest within
my breast, and bless God with a new thankful-
ness for His Unspeakable Gift.
Oblation and Petition , p. ia
Player before a Crucifix, p. 12.
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44 Who in his days pleased God ” — Ecclus. xliv.
before Communion*
Blessed summary of a life ! O Lord, that it
might be mine! A few days are granted me,
with their flitting light and shade, their alterna-
tions of labour and rest, their solemn lessons,
their wholesome trials, their tranquil joys — but
days only, one and all, passing swiftly with the
freight with which I lade them. If I could but
remember how fast they speed by, I should not
attach myself too much to the pleasures they
bring me, not grieve overmuch at their pain.
I should think less of the journey than of its
term.
Jewish tradition tells of an Eastern prince who
sent to King Solomon for a device for a ring that
should restrain him in prosperity and uphold
him in the day of trial. And Solomon sent him
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the words: “And this also shall pass away.*
Behold a greater than Solomon here. Let me
ask the Eternal Wisdom who comes to me to-day
to engrave deeply in my heart His word of warn-
ing : “ Watch I ” ; His words of comfort : “ Be
thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a
crown of life” (Apoc. ii.) ; “Work your work
before the time, and God will give you your
reward in His time” (Ecclus. li.).
Show me, O Wisdom of God, that the business
of this life, the true aim of life is — not success,
not honour, not the storing of plenty in view of
many years, but to please God in the few days
allotted me, by the wise use of all they offer me
for His service and for my sanctification.
Let me remember that each day’s journey is
made once for all. “ For behold short years
pass away, and I am walking in a path by which
I shall not return ” (Job xvi.). My concern must
be to make each day of march and toil pleasing
to God by taking from His hand whatever of joy
or sorrow it brings, not attributing to chance,
misfortunes that befall me, not stopping at the
human instruments by which they come, but
passing beyond, to Him who order eth all things
sweetly (Wisd. viii.). For all my ways are pre-
pared (Judith ix.). Nothing upon earth is done
without a cause, and sorrow doth not spring out
of the ground (Job v.).
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My God, when I look upon the holy lives of
others, of those who among the heathen are
serving thee amid danger and privation of every
kind, or, in a sphere of humbler heroism, are
bearing nobly the cross of poverty, persecution,
failure, sickness, I feel inclined to envy them
their generous service, and to look almost with
despair on mine.
Yet would I change my lot with theirs?
Hardly, I think. Not even for the joy of giving
Thee that better, nobler service which they give,
could I forego that special knowledge and love
of Thee which my past has furnished, and which
is my treasure for eternity. Trials, difficulties,
weakness, falls, graces, succours, opportunities,
victories, joys — Thy patient, persevering love
shining through all, guiding all, working out
Thy designs through all, could I part with this ?
Could I part with Thee, my God, the God of my
life (Ecclus. xxiii.), so sweet, so tender, so true ;
the God of my experience, dear to me as my
own intimate, unshared possession ? No, I could
not part with Thee, my God.
0 my God and my Friend! fciend beside
whom no other deserves the name ; Friend never
weary of me, never misinterpreting, never mis-
trusting, never, like other friends, willing yet
powerless ; believing all things, hoping all things,
enduring all things, I give Thee most humble
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and most hearty thanks for this gift to me of
Thyself.
Thou art a friend that never fallest away.
For if we sin we are thine (Wisd. xv.), and — as
is the wont of the innocent and the injured —
Thou art the first to seek reconciliation. O
faithful Friend, ever ready with Thy counsel,
Thy comfort, Thy warnings, and when needful
Thy reproofs, the only friend on whom we can
count with certainty, to whom we may unburden
ourselves without reserve, with whom there is no
waiting for opportune moods and moments, no
need of guarded speech, whom there is no fear of
scandalising in hours when the heart's bitterness
overflows, what shall we render to Thee for all
Thou hast rendered unto us in giving us the
right to call Thee — Friend !
Thou wert waiting for us when our eyes opened
upon this world, and Thy hand will close them
gently and lay us to our rest when our work here
is done. All through life Thou dost tread the
path by our side, and at its points of crisis and of
trial we “ find Thee there first ” (Ecclus. xii.). O
Friend who alone remainest as the road behind
us lengthens, and those who began the journey
with us have dropped away one by one; Thou
who d rawest nearer as the gaps widen and the
sense of loneliness deepens — stay with us still,
stay with us unto the end. The weight of years
z
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begins to tell, our steps are faltering — stay with
us, stay with us, O Lord I Let the failing of
other friendships be the strengthening of Thine.
Let the void in so many places make room for
Thee, and the instability of all things else drive
us to lean with all our weight on Thee.
And when the end is come, when the night
falls, stay with us then, O Lord! WTien the
shades of death shut out the sights of earth;
when eyes and ears are dulled to the things of
sense; when I find myself on the threshold of
eternity, and earth has all but rolled away from
beneath my feet ; when the words of human love
no longer reach me, and the voice of Mother
Church alone, soothing and protecting, comes
between my soul and the perils of that hour — 0
Friend of my life, show Thyself to me then as
the Faithful and True ! Prepare me Thyself for
the Sacraments in which Thou hast stored help
for us in that time of direst need. Give me such
contrition for the sins of my life, that the Last
Blessing and Plenary Indulgence may have their
full effect, that not all guilt only, but punishment
too may be remitted. I shall be equal to little
effort, to little prayer, but let my petition now
secure me the graces I shall want then. Give
me, O Lord, such faith and hope and charity,
and such desire to receive Thee, that coming to
me in Viaticum Thou mayst strengthen me fully
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for my last journey, and shield me from the Evil
one who will be there with great wrath, knowing
that he has but a short time. Lord, all my hope
for that last hour is in Thee. I place all my
trust in the pity of Thy Sacred Heart, in the in-
tercession of Thy Blessed Mother, of St. Michael,
the Prince of all the souls to be received, of my
Good Angel, and in the prayers of Thy Church.
When I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death I will fear no evil, for Thou wilt be with
me. Thy Arm will be round me, Thy voice will
encourage me — and, dearest Lord, Thy Face will
welcome me when the mists of time are cleared
away, and in the light of eternity I see Thee as
Thou art.
&fter Communion.
“Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the
throne, the throne of His glory in Heaven, the
throne here on earth of my poor heart.”
a O ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
“ O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord ;
praise and exalt Him above all for ever.”
“ Give praise to our God, all ye His servants :
and you that fear Him, little and great.”
“0 give thanks to the Lord because He is
good, because His mercy endureth for ever.”
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“ Fear not the sentence of death . . . and what
shall come upon thee by the good pleasure of the
most High ” (Ecclus. xli.).
The God of my life I can trust with my death.
He who so far has ordered all things sweetly,
will not fail me in my greatest need. If death is
His sentence, it is also His invitation. As a
sentence, justly deserved, I accept it with sub-
mission and resignation. As an invitation, I
give most hearty thanks for it, and respond to it
with gladness. It is the recall from exile, the
passage to the Presence Chamber, the gate of my
Home. It brings me the unveiled face, the
embrace, eternal union with Him whom I love.
Love delights to repay in kind. All through
the years of my wayfaring on earth, I have
offered Thee hospitality, 0 Lord. Thou hast
stood at the door and knocked, and I have
opened. Thou hast asked for shelter, and I have
given Thee a home. It is now Thy turn. The
time has come for Thee to receive me into Thy
House and make me welcome there.
“ Lord, where dwellest Thou ? ”
“ Come and see.’
“ They came and saw where He abode, and
they staid with Him that day ” (John i.).
Answer thus, dear Lord, the longing desire of
my heart. Say to me in the hour of my death :
“ Come and see.” For winter is now past, the
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rain is over and gone, the flowers have appeared
in our land. Arise and come (Cant. ii.). The
long road of exile is nearly traversed ; the time of
veils and figures, of faith and hope, of struggle,
and uncertainty, and fear, draws to a close.
Look up and lift up your head, because your
redemption is at hand. Look up to your Father’s
House with its many mansions. I have prepared
a place for you, that where I am you may be with
Me. Come and see. Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of
man to conceive what God hath prepared for
them who love Him : Come and see.”
Call me, and bid me come to Thee, O Lord.
Call me that I may see where Thou dwellest, and
may stay with Thee throughout the day of eternity.
“ Fear not the sentence of death . . . and what
shall come upon thee by the good pleasure of the
most High.”
We are told that the best preparation for
death is self-abandonment into the hands of God.
We have made our peace with Him. We have
received Him into our souls who is our peace.
What remains for us but to forget ourselves, to
leave the care of ourselves entirely to Him.
“ Fear not what shall come upon thee.” What-
ever comes will be His good pleasure. Pain of
body may come, and anguish of soul. I will lie
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still in my Father’s arms — the Will of God is
welcome. Purgatory must come, and it will be
grievous and long — the Will of God is welcome.
When He shall have fulfilled His Will in me
(Job xxiii.) by the cleansing fires, I shall be
called to do His Will as it is done in Heaven. I
shall hear the voice of my Beloved :
“Arise, My love, and come.” “The night is past,
the day is at hand” (Rom. xiii.). “Give praise, be
glad, and rejoice with all thy heart . . . thou
shalt fear evil no more” (Sophon. iii.). “ Put off
the garments of thy mourning and affliction, and
put on the beauty and honour of that everlasting
glory which thou hast from God” (Baruch v.).
“ Arise, make haste, and come.”
Oh with what rapture shall 1 welcome that
Will of God, and hold out my arms to Him, and
speed away to His embrace. “ I have found Him
whom my soul loveth ” (Cant, iii.), and now there
is nothing to hold me back from Him ; “ my heart
is ready, O God, my heart is ready ! ” (Ps. cvii.).
Oblation and Petition , pp. 169, 171.
Prayer before a Crucifix, p. 12,
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LETCHWORTH
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